Wake Forest Athletics
Simons Set To Defend Her State Title
6/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
June 9, 2006
Wake Forest senior Maggie Simons will defend her title at the 57th North Carolina Women's Amatuer Championship next Tuesday through Thursday at Mimosa Hills Country Club in Morganton, N.C.
Simons won last year's title at Greensboro's Sedgefield Country Club. The 54-hole championship, conducted by the North Carolina Women's Golf Association, was first held in 1950 at Greensboro's Starmount Forest Country Club.
A full field of 112 golfers are set to test the 1929 Donald Ross designed Mimosa Hills layout. Mimosa last held the North Carolina Women's Amateur in 1963.
Four former champions will be in this year's field. Last year at Sedgefield, Simons, a Raleigh native, shot 71-69-73=213 to hold off NC State freshman Jessie Vincent (73-64-78=215) of Burlington. Simons is the No.1 ranked amateur in the state. Other former champions in the field include Charlotte's Patty Moore, Debbie Adams of Asheville, and Donna Noblitt of Shelby.
Wake Forest head coach Dianne Dailey won this prestigious title twice. She won in 1977 at Walnut Creek CC in Goldsboro, and she defended in 1978 at High Meadows CC in Roaring Gap.
Demon Deacon players have won a total of six state am titles. Debbie Rhodes was the first, winning in 1971 at Maggie Valley CC. Robin Holloway won the title in 1980 at Dick Woods GC in Kitty Hawk. Stephanie Neill had her way at the state am, winning three - 1989 (Kenmure G&CC/Flat Rock), 1991 (Greenbrier GC/New Bern) and 1992 (Colonial CC/Thomasville).
Three times a Deacon player has finished second: Rhodes in 1973, Kathy Dunbar in 1982 and Neill in 1988.
There will be a good mix of college players, young and middle amateurs, senior amateurs, and a dose of junior players vying for North Carolina's most prestigious women's golf title. Adrienne Millican, a two-time All-Conference USA player at East Carolina and the state's fourth-ranked amateur, will be seeking her first North Carolina Am title. Greenville's Paige Haverty, who just wound up an outstanding college career at Catawba College, has finished third the past two years. She comes in as the fifth-ranked amateur.
Other known collegiate players in the field include: Leigh Ann Barringer (Jr./Campbell), Kristen Billings (Fr./ECU), Abby Bools (Fr./ECU), Mary Kate Bowman (So./Appalachian State), Emily Cheves (Fr./ Appalachian State), Brooke DeHart (Fr./ Appalachian State), Alison Leeper (Jr./UNC-W), Jennifer Link (So./UNC-G), Ashley Mylton (Jr./UNC-G), and Mattie Pufpaff (Jr./Catawba).
Players Mentioned
