gulf shores: Stupiansky wins WAGA Stroke Play

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Jillian Stupiansky of Birmingham fired a 1-under-par 71 on Wednesday to secure a wire-to-wire victory in the Women's Alabama Golf Association's 16th annual Stroke Play Championship at Cypress Bend at the Craft Farms Resort in Gulf Shores.

Stupiansky finished with a 54-hole total of 7-under-par 209 after opening with 69-69.

Auburn golfer Jessica Lovell was the only other player under par for the tournament, closing with a 70 that left her at 5-under 211.

Daphne's Carolyn Cochran was the best finisher among the local contingent, tying for sixth with 74-224.

Foley's Laurie Strite won the second flight with 77-243, Lisa Graham of Orange Beach was third in the third flight, and Rita Durham of Gulf Shores was third in the fourth flight.

-- AGAINST THE WORLD: Robby Shelton of Wilmer, plus Gabi Oubré and Alex Moore, both of Mobile, competed in the U.S. Kids Golf World Championships over the weekend at the famed Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, N.C.

Shelton posted 74-71-76 on Pinehurst No. 5 to tie for 19th in the boys' 10-year-old division, which had 115 players.

Oubré carded 80-80-82 to finish tied for 23rd in the girls' 12-year-old division, which had 65 players. Moore, also competing in the girls' 12 group, had 87-109-99 to tie for 56th.

Nearly 1,000 junior golfers, ages 4 through 12, from 32 countries competed in the World Championships.

-- BATTLE OF THE BAY: The Jimmy Green Summer Junior Tour will wind down its season on Sunday with the annual Battle of the Bay matches, pitting the best juniors from Mobile County against the best from Baldwin County.

The teams will play in a Ryder Cup-style format, a fun finale for the top point winners on the summer-long series of tournaments at area courses.

Here are the point leaders in each division and the players who will be competing in the Battle of the Bay: Boys' 15-18: Will Phillips, Cameron Smith, Michael Ulmer, Blaine Henderson and Leland Dunning; girls' 15-18: Gabi Oubré and Laura Dudley; boys' 13-14: Zachary Hughes, Wilson McDonald, Rory Nelson and Brandon Shelley; girls' 13-14: Carolyn Backes and Elena Hall; boys' 11-12: Connor Elders, Richard Pipkins, Robby Shelton and Sheldon Statkewicz; girls' 11-12: Haley Mize and Alex Moore; boys' 10 and under: Steven Setterstrom, Alex Green, Drew Mathers and Jack Courtney; and girls' 10 and under: Emma Fontenot and Olivia Brantley.

-- Gareth Clary