Noted amateur, Margaret Shirley of Roswell, played steady golf all day and fired a two-under par 70, for a two day total of six-under par 138, to capture her third Volvik Georgia Women’s Open title at Brookfield Country Club in Roswell. Shirley also captured the Low Amateur honors as well for the fourth time in this nineteen year old championship.
Shirley had a one-shot lead over amateur Jessica Haigwood of Roswell, and a two-shot lead over professional Carmen Bandea of Johns Creek, heading into the final round. Haigwood made a birdie on the first hole while Shirley made a bogey which briefly gave Haigwood a one shot lead, but it was short lived. A double bogey on the second hole by Haigwood put Shirley back into the lead for good and she went on to fire a three-under par 32 highlighted by three consecutive birdies on holes five through seven.
Shirley, who also won the title in 2006 & 2008, played solid golf, hitting 10 out of 14 fairways and 15 out of 18 greens. The key to Shirley’s victory was her iron play which put her in good scoring positions throughout the final round.
Bandea carded a final round 73 for a tournament total of one-under par 143 to claim Low Professional honors. Bandea earned a check of $750 for her efforts. Haigwood, who is an incoming freshman at Augusta State University, tied Bandea for second place with a two-over par round of 74 and a tournament total of 143. Haigwood made six birdies in her final round, but a 9 on the par four 12th hole took her out of contention for the championship.
Rounding out the top five were professional Mari Chun of Alpharetta who shot four-over par 148, and tied for fourth place with amateur Mercedes Huarte of Suwanee.
For her efforts, Shirley the former Auburn All-American captured the coveted W.A. (Bill) Roquemore trophy. Bill Roquemore was the founder of the Canongate family of golf courses and a longtime supporter of women’s golf in Georgia.
Volvik, a Korean based ball manufacturer, just introduced their products to the American market this year at the PGA’s Merchandise Show with great enthusiasm and success. In over 30 years of golf ball production, Volvik has developed a reputation based on perfect quality control and innovative development, quickly becoming one of the most significant and trusted golf ball manufacturers in the world. Volvik is dedicated to the production of specialized 3- and 4-piece multi-layer golf balls that feature patented dimple technology for optimal performance that satisfies the needs of golfers of every skill level. Volvik is renowned for its world leading technology and innovation with over 37 International Patents. Volvik balls are strenuously tested to provide unmatched durability and have been designed to maximize energy transfer, resulting in greater distance.
Players using Volvik’s high-performance color golf balls earned over $2 million on the LPGA and Symetra Tour in 2012 with 28 Top 10 finishes and 3 victories worldwide. Volvik is also the Official Sponsor of the LPGA Tour’s Race for the Card, the Official Golf Ball of The Symetra Tour and the title sponsor of the Symetra Tour’s Volvik Championship, a new event on the Symetra Tour starting in 2013.