NCHSAA WOMEN’S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS SET TO START MONDAY

CHAPEL HILL—Top golfers from across the state will compete next week in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s 28th women’s state golf championships.

For the sixth year in a row, the NCHSAA will offer classified championships because the number of schools competing in the sport has grown. The two-day event will be held on Monday and Tuesday at two different sites.

The 4-A championships are set for Pinehurst number one, while the 1-A, 2-A and 3-A golfers will compete together at Fox Fire Resort and Country Club in Fox Fire Village, on the West Course.

Players qualified to the state championships from regionals across the state.

Last year Northwest Guilford earned the state 4-A team title by four strokes over Gastonia Ashbrook, with Charlotte Myers Park in third. Raleigh Wakefield’s Courtney McKim was the individual champion and returns to defend her title.

Cameron Union Pines captured the 2007 1-A/2-A/3-A team title by four shots over Wilson Fike, with Salisbury finishing third. Courtney Gunter of Indian Trail Porter Ridge, with a 71 on the last day, won the individual championship by a whopping 11 shots and has qualified to defend her crown.

The best three scores for a team, which may have up to five individuals, are counted each day toward the team total.

The championships include a field of 78 golfers competing in each classification. The first group in the 4-A championships will tee off at eight o’clock Monday morning while action in the 1-A/2-A/3-A tournament starts at nine a.m.

The NCHSAA women’s golf championships are presented by Wendy’s.