H.S. golf: Blanket's Kinkade, Eula team finish third at state girls tournament
KYLE – Blanket’s Karli Kinkade and the Eula Lady Pirates each finished third at the Class 1A girls state golf tournament Tuesday at Plum Creek Golf Course.
Happy’s Halee Jo Johnson shot 5-over-par 76 on the final day to defend her state title. Garden City’s Rylee Wood and Kinkade finished second tied at 173, but Wood won a playoff for the silver medal.
Robert Lee’s Kailey Freeman took fifth (176), while Eula’s Maris Goodman was sixth (178). Munday’s Brooklyn Rodriguez was ninth (180).
Garden City won the team title with a 730, followed by Veribest (772) and Eula (859). That's a 1-2-3 finish for the region. Throckmorton was seventh.
“We didn’t play as good as we wanted to, but we played good enough to get third,” Eula coach Darren Carson said.
Considering Eula has only one senior in Goodman, it was good for the Lady Pirates just to play at the state tournament and gain valuable experience. Carson has three sophomores and a freshman.
“That was the goal of mine, just to get them there so they could see what it’s like, see the course and experience it," Carson said. "Hopefully, it’ll fire them to work to get better. So, to get a third-place medal was just gravy on top.”
The Lady Pirates will have to get better if they’re going to get back to state without Goodman, who finished two strokes behind Johnson last year to finish second.
“She’ll be hard to replace,” Carson said of Goodman. “She’s been a great one.”
Only one Big Country athlete competed at the Class 3A girls golf tournament at the Jimmy Clay Golf Course in Austin. Stamford’s Alina Villanueva finished 37th (99-104-203).
Mount Pleasant Chapel Hill’s Katie Hart shot even-par 72 on Tuesday to win the Class 3A individual title with a 146. Wall’s Shay West was second (73-76—149).
Wall won the team title (332-342—674), while Odessa Compass Academy was second (339-340-679) and Gunter was third (351-363—714).
The boys’ state tournaments begins Monday.
Class1A State Tournament
At Plum Creek Golf Course
Team – 1. Garden City 347-356—730, 2. Veribest 390-382—772, 3. Eula 432-427—859, 4. Utopia 439425—864, 5. Graford 453-426—879, 6. Oglesby 452-432—884, 7. Throckmorton 452-454—906, 8. Wildorado 473-444—917, 9. Leakey 456-469—925, 10. Rochelle 478-456—934, 11. Lazbuddie 477-469—946, 12. Borden County 497-450—947.
Individual – 1. Halee Jo Johnson, Happy, 85-76—161; 2. Rylee Wood, Garden City, 89-84—173; 3. Karli Kinkade, Blanket, 85-88—173; 4. Kinsley Cox, Utopia, 88-88—176; 5. Kailey Freeman, Robert Lee, 95-81—176; 6. Maris Goodman, Eula, 87-91—178; 7. Audrey Marier, Lenorah Grady, 89-90—179; 8. Olivia Abbott, Veribest, 93-87—180; 9. Brooklyn Rodriguez, Munday, 87-93—180; 10. Briana Halfmann, Garden City, 96-85—181.
Note – Wood won a playoff with Kinkade for second place.
Team scores
Eula (432) – Maris Pree Goodman 85, Hailee Cauthen 105-106—211, Layla Fostel 120-114—234, Laney Fostel 120-116—236, Emma Damron 125-117—242.
Throckmorton (452) – Hannah Gage 100-100—200, Olivia Fauntleroy 111-115—226, Sydnee Koonsman 114-114-228, Brylee Gage 127-125—252.