by Ben Johnson (@BenJohnsonTUL)5/1/2018 9:48:06 PM
posted in: Articles | 2,740 views
State golf tournaments will begin Wednesday across the state, from Bartlesville to Norman. The best girls golfers in the state will play a two-day, 36-hole tournament at each site.
The forecast should allow for no problems on Wednesday, but overnight storms or poor weather on Thursday could alter the format of some of the tournaments.
Per the OSSAA, if play is suspended on Wednesday, it will continue on Thursday. If all golfers are able to complete their rounds on Wednesday and weather prohibits any play on Thursday, then the results will then be final after 18 holes.
And here’s a look at each tournament this week…
Class 6A (Schedule)
Course: Hillcrest Golf Course in Bartlesville (Par 72 that plays 6,607 yards long. All four Par 3s rank as the easiest holes on the course, and both nines conclude with Par 5s. The 18th hole, the longest on the course, plays 575 yards long).
2017 state tournament
Team champion: Owasso - Rams coasted to a 21 stroke cushion to win the title over Edmond North.
Individual champion: Kaitlin Milligan (Norman North) - Like Owasso, Milligan cruised to the individual title. Her one-stroke lead heading into the final day held up easily when she was the only player in the field to shoot in the 70s. Milligan finished with a 36-hole total of 147, and Ponca City’s Sydney Hermann was second with a 156.
Regional recaps
East: At Muskogee Country Club, Bixby won the title with a total of 318, beating Jenks by five strokes. Owasso’s Faith Belmar picked up medalist honors with a 71, which was two strokes better than Bartlesville’s Emma Shelley.
West: At Hidden Trails Golf Course, Edmond North (322) beat Norman (325) by three strokes to claim the team crown. Edmond Memorial’s Lilly Whitley won the individual title with a 73, beating Deer Creek’s Faith Stewart by two strokes.
Notes: Hermann qualified for the state tournament by finishing four at the East Regional. … Belmar finished third at last year’s state tournament.
Class 5A (Schedule)
Course: Muskogee Country Club in Muskogee (Par 71 and 6,326 yards in length.)
2017 state tournament
Team champion: Duncan - Demons rallied from a six-strike deficit entering the final day of the tournament and beat Collinsville in a playoff.
Individual champion: Mika Ramos (Bishop Kelley) - As a freshman, Ramos beat Collinsville’s Nina Lee by five strokes
Regional recaps
East: At Pryor Creek Golf Course, Collinsville (336) held off Durant (340) for regional gold. Durant’s Blayne Barker was the tournament’s medalist with a 72, and Collinsville’s Madison O’Dell (73) and Nina Lee (74) finished second and fourth, respectively.
West: At Aqua Canyon Golf Course in Guthrie, Duncan breezed to the regional championship with a 316. Bishop McGuinness was a distant second at 361. Bishop McGuinness’ Olivia Schmidt (74) beat out Duncan’s Brooklyn Bostick by a stroke for medalist honors.
Notes: This year’s regional individual champions finished in the top 10 at last year’s state tournament. Schmidt finished fourth and Barker was 10th. … Ramos tied for second at the East Regional.
Class 4A (Schedule)
Course: Lake Hefner South in Oklahoma City (Par 70 that plays 5,946 yards long. A tough four-hole stretch to finish the first nine segues to a back nine that should allow for scoring chances in the final few holes. The easiest hole on the course is No. 17, a short Par 3 that is 150 yards long.)
2017 state tournament
Team champion: Plainview - A slim six-stroke lead after the first day of the tournament exploded on the second day, and Plainview won the title with ease, finishing at 634 with Fort Gibson a distant second at 657.
Individual champion: Katie Finley (Plainview) - An 80 on the first day left Finley outside of the top five, but she blew out the field on the second day with a 71. Her two-day total of 151 ended up being five strokes better than Fort Gibson’s Shelby Phillips.
Regional recaps
Regional I: At Riverside Golf Course, Newcastle won the team title with a 355. Elk City was second at 368. Newcastle’s Chloe Black picked up medalist honors with a 68.
Regional II: The rout was on from the beginning. Plainview (301) was never challenged and beat Pauls Valley by 88 strokes. All four golfers that went to Plainview’s total shot 79 or better, led by Katie Finley’s medalist finish with a 69.
Regional III: At Jimmy Austin Golf Course in Seminole, Hilldale was a runaway winner with a total of 330. Cushing was second with a 430. The top four on the individual leaderboard were all from Hilldale, with Jordan Clayborn winning with a 75.
Regional IV: In its own backyard, Grove won team honors with a 356, beating second place Muldrow (387) and third place Fort Gibson (397). Muldrow’s Kirsten Matlock finished atop the individual leaderboard with an 81.
Notes: Hilldale’s Jordan Clayborn finished third at last year’s state tournament with a 157, six strokes off the pace set by Finley. … Black was sixth last year at the state tournament with a 159.
Class 3A (Schedule)
Course: Westwood Park Golf Course in Norman (Par 70 that is 5,265 yards long.)
2017 state tournament
Team champion: Marlow - Outlaws and Purcell tied at 716, and Marlow won the championship in a playoff. Lone Grove was third at 746.
Individual champion: Taylor Towers (Rejoice Christian) - Back-to-back 75s helped Towers win medalist honors. Purcell’s ShaeBug Scarberry was second at 155.
Regional recaps
East: Verdigris (362) held off Perkins-Tryon (373) to win the team championship at Sapulpa Municipal Golf Course. Towers finished atop the individual leaderboard with a 71, beating Chandler’s Josie Patterson by two strokes.
West: At Brent Bruel Golf Course, Purcell won on its home course with a 330. Marlow was second at 356. Scarberry(68) was the only golfer to shoot in the 60s to win medalist honors.
Notes: Regional champion Verdigris finished seventh at last year’s state tournament. … Because of windy conditions, Towers and Scarberry were the only golfers to shoot in the 70s on the final day of last year’s state tournament.
Class 2A (Schedule)
Course: Aqua Canyon in Guthrie (Par 70 that is 5,861 yards in length. Back nine starts short with two Par 3s in the first four holes, and four Par 4s and a Par 5 await to finish the course.)
2017 state tournament
Team champion: Mooreland - A second-day comeback saw Mooreland overcome a five-stroke deficit to finish with a 764. Tishomingo, the first-day leader after a 380, shot a 389 and finished with a 769 to finish second.
Individual champion: Megan Brown (Cordell) - Scoring didn’t come easy at Aqua Canyon last season, and Brown was the only golfer to shoot in the 70s on both days. She ended up winning by 10 shots.
Regional recaps
East: At Arrowhead Golf Course in Canadian, Tishomingo won the team title with a 373. Oklahoma Christian School was second with a 406. Silo’s Makenzie Rogers picked up medalist honors with an 82.
West: Washington won a regional crown with a 362, beating Mooreland (375) by 13 strokes. Cashion’s Sydney Manning and Brown both finished at 73, and Manning won medalist honors by winning in a playoff.
Note: Manning finished 30th and 39 strokes off the winning pace at last year’s Class 5A state tournament.