A state champion is heading south.
GPS senior Mary Alice Murphy signed scholarship papers on Wednesday to play golf at Mercer University in Macon, Ga., where she visited in October and found the campus to her liking.
“I wanted a small college,” Murphy said. “I think it’s a great fit for me.”
Murphy claimed the Division II state championship last fall with a 3-over-par 147 at Old Fort Golf Course.
“She was a late bloomer in a lot of regards,” GPS coach Ryan Kopet said. “She put in the hours over and above all others.
“She’s at the course every day, even now, so much that she’s almost part of the course like a green or fairway.”
Murphy was selected to the Times Free Press Best of Preps first team each of the last two seasons and was on the second team as a sophomore.
“Tee to green, she’s always leaps and bounds above everybody else,” Kopet said. “She’s got great distance for such a small fry. And you could see her ticking off strokes every year.”
Murphy finished 12th at state as a freshman and improved her place each year. Last season, Murphy finished second in the Division II-AA East/Middle Region championship and tied for third at the City Prep Championship.
Murphy said she’s been fortunate to have had so many people take an interest in her and help her along the way. She plans on playing several tournaments this summer before enrolling.
“They practice at Idle Hour Country Club,” Murphy said of the Bears. “It’s an old Southern country club with a par-3 course, which is where I need to practice.”