HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE -- It's Henderson State future vs. present in the title match.
Reddie signee Taylor Loeb, of Maumelle, takes on incoming Henderson junior Sarah Wright, of Fayetteville, in today's championship-division final of the Arkansas State Golf Association Women's Match Play, Loeb winning 2-up against Kirsten Garner, of Hot Springs, in Thursday's semifinals at DeSoto Golf Course.
"I'm very excited, especially since I'm playing against my future teammate," said Loeb, top seed in her first adult event.
Wright routed 2014 champion Libby Croom, of Russellville, 6 and 5, tied for the tournament's biggest margin and the only one in the winners' bracket. Wright's path started with a 19-hole victory over Arkansas-Monticello coach and reigning champ Heather Wall, of Lake Village.
"I'm pretty nervous, but I'm also excited," Loeb said. "It's going to be a good match because she's a really solid player. I can't wait to play with her."
Loeb led from the start when Garner, an Arkansas State junior-to-be, bogeyed the opening hole. The two played solid golf until Loeb, a recent Mount St. Mary Academy graduate, bogeyed the par-5 eighth, allowing Garner to square the match by the time they turned.
"I was 1-down for the longest time, and I had a lot of pressure going down to the final two holes," said Garner, a 2014 Lakeside grad. "I actually played really well, but she played better."
Garner would have lost the par-3 11th with a bogey, but Loeb made sure with a short birdie off a near-perfect tee shot. Garner then flubbed her second shot following a huge drive on 12, leading to a bogey and a two-hole deficit.
Loeb made her lone back-nine error when she sliced her 13th drive into a tree, leading to a bogey that pulled Garner within one. But Loeb, coming off an opening-round bye, was solid the rest of the way, punctuating her first victory with a birdie on the par-5 18th.
Garner still had a couple of chances to square the match, lipping out a birdie putt from the fairway on 16 and just missing right on her eight-foot birdie attempt at 17.
"At least one them, you're thinking one of them has to go in," Garner said. "I'm not upset because I played really well today. It's just Taylor played one of her best rounds, I feel like. I don't know what she shot, but she played really well today. She hit the ball well. She putted well. There's nothing you can do about that, really."
Loeb vs. Wright is the lone final match in the championship division after Julie Oxendine, of Russellville, defeated Wall 4 and 3 to win the consolation flight. The consolation final was a day early after reigning Women's State Amateur champ Peyton Weaver, of Bryant, conceded her match with Wall between the first two rounds.
In the senior division, Bismarck's Carrie Hall is in line for her third consecutive title after defeating Katie Speir , of Hot Springs Village, 3 and 2. After nearly failing to qualify for the top flight, Hall has looked more comfortable in the match-play format even while playing away from her home Hot Springs Country Club for the first time as a senior.
If she won her semifinal, Hall was guaranteed to play her second-straight opponent, Sandra Smit defeating Rhonda Haynes 2 and 1.
The second-flight final is between Sherwood's Kathy Bay and Searcy's Mattie Seward. HSV's Jo-Ann Dobscha takes on Jonesboro's Nancy Melton for third-flight honors.
Sports on 07/15/2016