WOODSTOCK, Ga. -- Augusta State’s Josh Gregory helped the Georgia State Golf Association (GSGA) team jump out to a big lead Sunday in the first day of the Billy Peters Cup matches at the Capital City Club’s Crabapple Course.

The GSGA squad took a five-point lead, 6.5 to 1.5, over the Georgia Section PGA professionals in the opening fourball round. The state’s top amateurs need just six points in Monday’s final-round singles matches against the state’s top 16 professionals in hopes of capturing their fourth-consecutive title in the biennial event.

The GSGA squad won six of the eight matches, halved another and lost just one to build their five-point lead after the four-ball matches.

In the anchor match, Gregory teamed with Dalton’s David Noll Jr., to edge the GPGA duo of Clark Spratlin and Greg Lee, 1-up.

GSGA’s Jeff Belk of Marietta and Mark Strickland of Woodstock posted the team’s first point with the most lopsided victory of the day, a 7-and-6 decision over the GPGA’s Sonny Skinner and Craig Stevens. In one of the two senior matches, amateur duo Doug Hanzel of Savannah and Chris Hall of Kennesaw made it 2-0 in GSGA’s favor with a 5-and-4 win over Wyatt Detmer and Steve Ridge.

GSGA’s Greg Kennedy of Duluth and Dave Womack of McDonough held on to a 1-up win over professionals Jeff Hull and Matt Peterson, while Adam Cooper of Columbus and Kris Mikkelsen of Atlanta made it 4-0 in GSGA’s favor with a 2-up win over Tim Weinhart and Brian Dixon.

The Georgia PGA team got their first point of the day in the other senior match, as Mike Schlueter and Dewitt Weaver topped Spencer Sappington of Milton and Jimmy Thomas of Johns Creek, 4 and 3. Both the GSGA and GPGA each earned a half-point as the GSGA’s Billy Mitchell of Roswell and Bob Royak of Alpharetta finished All Square with Shawn Koch and David Potts.

The final two matches of the day stayed close throughout, but were both decided by 1-up margins in the GSGA’s favor. Chris Dietzel of Monroe and John Walker of Macon topped Stephen Keppler and Winston Trively, while Noll, Jr., and Gregory got past Spratlin and Lee.

The 16 singles matches will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Monday morning. The event’s format awards one point to the team of a player that wins his match, with half-points going to those players whose matches end All Square after 18 holes of play.

The Billy Peters Cup Matches, formerly known as the GSGA-GPGA Challenge Cup, changed its name in 2007 to honor Peters’ contributions to the game. Peters, of Blakely, is a former president of the Georgia State Golf Association and honorary vice president of the Georgia Section PGA. He was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in 1993. This competition began in 1962 and was held annually until 1987 when it became a biennial event. The GSGA has captured the last three matches but trails in the all-time series 19 ½ – 15 ½.

Founded in 1916, the Georgia State Golf Association (GSGA) received its official charter on June 24, 1924. Since that date, the GSGA has grown to one of the largest state amateur golf associations in the country, with over 360 member clubs and 85,000 individual members. With a mission to promote and preserve amateur golf in the state of Georgia, GSGA offers a computerized handicapping service, course rating and measuring, and annually conducts a full schedule of statewide competitions for men and women of all age groups. Other services include a summer-long junior sectional program, award-winning Golf Georgia magazine, membership recognition and rewards programs and a charitable foundation administering two college scholarship programs.

Day One Results -- Sunday, October 18, 2009
Day One Points: GSGA 6.5, GPGA 1.5

Greg Kennedy/Dave Womack (GSGA) def. Jeff Hull/Matt Peterson (GPGA), 1 up
Adam Cooper/Kris Mikkelson (GSGA) def. Tim Weinhart/Brian Dixon (GPGA), 2 up
Billy Mitchell/Bob Royak (GSGA) vs. Shawn Koch/David Potts, All Square
Doug Hanzel/Chris Hall (GSGA) def. Wyatt Detmer/Steve Ridge (GPGA), 5 and 4
Mike Schlueter/Dewitt Weaver (GPGA) def. Jimmy Thomas/Spencer Sappington (GSGA), 4 and 3
Jeff Belk/Mark Strickland (GSGA) def. Sonny Skinner/Craig Stevens (GPGA), 7 and 6
Chris Dietzel/John Walker (GSGA) def. Stephen Keppler/Winston Trively (GPGA), 1 up
David Noll Jr./JOSH GREGORY (GSGA) def. Clark Spratlin/Greg Lee (GPGA), 1 up

Final Round Pairings -- Monday, October 19

Match 	Time 	GSGA 				Georgia PGA
9 	9:00 	Adam Cooper 		vs. 	Clark Spratlin
10 	9:08 	Chris Dietzel 		vs. 	Shawn Koch
11 	9:16 	David Noll 		vs. 	Sonny Skinner
12 	9:24 	JOSH GREGORY 		vs. 	Matt Peterson
13 	9:32 	Billy Mitchell 		vs. 	Jeff Hull
14 	9:40 	Kris Mikkelsen 		vs. 	Greg Lee
15 	9:48 	Chris Hall 		vs. 	Steve Ridge
16 	9:56 	Doug Hanzel 		vs. 	Wyatt Detmer
17 	10:04 	Spencer Sapprington 	vs. 	DeWitt Weaver
18 	10:12 	Jimmy Thomas 		vs. 	Mike Schlueter
19 	10:20 	Mark Strickland 	vs. 	Tim Weinhart
20 	10:28 	Bob Royak 		vs. 	Stephen Keppler
21 	10:36 	John Walker 		vs. 	David Potts
22 	10:44 	Dave Womack 		vs. 	Winston Trively
23 	10:52 	Greg Kennedy 		vs. 	Brian Dixon
24 	11:00 	Jeff Belk 		vs. 	Craig Stevens