Phelps understands his mission

Like a certain television character, Mike Phelps will accept his mission.

Phelps has the same surname as the leading character in Mission: Impossible .

Each week from 1966-73, Jim Phelps would agree to an assignment ("Your mission, Jim, should you decide to accept it") with his covert operations unit at the start of the show.

In Mike Phelps' case, his mission this weekend is to help Georgia beat South Carolina in the Regions Cup Matches.

If Georgia wins for the sixth consecutive year, it will even the series record at 10-10-1.

The Martinez golfer is a rookie in the matches, which bring together 16-player teams from Georgia and South Carolina for three days of matches at Thomson's Belle Meade Country Club.

The action starts today with team matches in both the morning and afternoon. There will also be double team matches Saturday, then 16 singles matches Sunday.

Each match will be worth a point. In the event of a halve, each team gets a half-point.

The Peach State golfers are favored again, based on their superior play in the 10 tournaments this season.

However, Georgia was favored last year, but the matches came down to the last hole before Georgia won 211/2 to 201/2.

"I feel like the matches are going to be real close," said South Carolina senior division captain Glen Hurt.

"It may come down to the wire again."

Phelps has been playing in Regions Cup tournaments since 2004, but he'd never come close to making the Georgia team before this year.

"I'd have a good tournament and then shoot 78-77 and finish 19th in the next one," said Phelps, whose best career finish is a third-place at Goshen in 2004.

Phelps, 39, had four top-10 finishes this season, including a tie for fifth in the City of Augusta Match Play Championship.

He earned 84 points to claim the eighth and final spot on the regular-division team.

"I'd been hanging on to eighth spot on Georgia most of the season and just watching; that was kind of painful," Phelps said.

He made it through, and now Phelps will join the area's top amateur golfers this weekend.

"That's what my goal was this year. Just to make the team," Phelps said. "I wanted to win -- everybody wants to win -- but making the team was my goal. Next year, I want to be able to win."

For that to happen, Phelps said he must eliminate "four or five shots" per round. .

"I usually shoot between 75 and 78," he said. "Just kind of bleed with a few bogeys. I'm pretty consistent. I make a lot of pars, not many birdies. That's why I need to hit more greens. I can putt; I've been able to get up and down. That's been great. But I can't hit the greens close enough."

Phelps carries a "three or four" handicap at Forest Hills Golf Club.

Reach David Westin at (706) 724-0851 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.