State 4A girls golf: Trio joins top 10

BELLINGHAM – Three Greater Spokane League golfers placed in the top 10 Wednesday in the State 4A tournament at Sudden Valley Golf Course.

University sophomore Kaitlen Parsons was the highest-placing GSL golfer, taking fourth place with a two-day total of 157. Lewis and Clark sophomore Chessey Thomas and Mead senior Lauren Howell finished tied for seventh place with a 161.

Bethel senior Sadena Parks won the individual title, recording a tournament-best 67 for the second round. Her total score of 142 was 13 strokes better than her nearest opponent. Taking home the team title was Redmond, with 83 points.

Entering the day tied for fifth place, Parsons turned in a second-round score of 78, which included a 36 on the back nine.

“After the front nine, I knew I had to step up my game to get to where I wanted,” said Parsons, who recorded two birdies on the back nine. “It was a good round on the back. I really played lights out.”

Parsons was originally awarded a fifth-place medal but was later credited with fourth place after Kentwood freshman Rui Li, who began the day in first place, was disqualified.

Parsons said she exceeded her expectations for the tournament considering she broke blood vessels in her hand during a practice round earlier in the week.

“I came in as a (No.) 5 seed and I knew I’d have to play pretty well to get to the second day,” she said. “I honestly didn’t think I would play as well as I did.”

Also tied for fifth entering the day, Thomas struggled to find a rhythm on her way to a second-round score of 82.

“I couldn’t piece together four or five good holes in a row,” said Thomas, who placed fourth in state last year. “I’d have a good two- or three-hole stretch and then I’d miss a putt here or there. I missed a couple of 3- or 4-footers that I needed to make for par and that was pretty much what sealed the high score.”

Thomas said she couldn’t recover from a double-bogey on the second hole.

LC coach Michelle Grafos was satisfied with the efforts of Thomas and her two teammates who also made the cut. Junior Emily Travis tied for 27th place with a 179, while senior Laura Black finished in 37th place with a 187.

“I’m proud of how they went out and played in horrible conditions,” Grafos said. “It just didn’t come together for us today, (but) they’re young and we’ll be back.”

Also representing the GSL in the second round were Mead senior Brittany Wilcox, who finished in 20th place with a 174, and Gonzaga Prep sophomore Jenna Speltz, who was disqualified after the front nine for an unspecified reason.

Wilcox said Wednesday’s drier weather helped her improve her first-round score by eight strokes.

“It helped a lot with it not raining,” Wilcox said. “I was able to hit the ball a lot better today and I hit a lot more greens today than yesterday.”