Mead’s Thoen, LC’s Haase win district 4A golf

Mead senior Stephen Thoen had to work for 18 holes to earn the District 8 4A boys golf championship.

Lewis and Clark senior Megan Haase had to work even longer – three playoff holes – before claiming girls medalist honors for the second straight year.

Thoen shot 3-over-par 73 Tuesday at Liberty Lake, six days after a 71 at Qualchan, to finish three strokes in front of Ferris freshman Tanner Comes, whose 71 equaled Gonzaga Prep’s Tiago Correia for low round of the day. Ferris sophomore Eric Ansett shot 72 to finish third at 148.

Haase bounced back from last week’s 80 at Qualchan with a 1-over 71. She was joined at 151 by freshman teammate Sierra Kersten, who birdied No. 18 to finish off a 73 and force a playoff. Haase won it on the third extra hole with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 12th.

“I think we were both exhausted,” Haase said. “It was really hot out and it was a taxing round, but it was fun.”

LC earned four of the district’s seven berths to state, which will be held at MeadowWood next week. Haase and Kersten will be joined by Kersten’s sister, Sydney, who finished fourth, and Katie Larson, who was sixth. Other state qualifiers included Mead’s Kristen Hansen, the first-round leader who shot 78 and finished third; teammate Lydia Kim, who shot 79 and placed fifth; and G-Prep junior Lindsey Dotson, who shot 82 and finished seventh.

“Qualifying four puts us in a really good position to compete for a title,” Tigers coach Michelle Grafos said.

Haase was steady, making 14 pars, two birdies, one bogey and one double bogey.

On the first playoff hole, she had a 4-foot birdie putt for the win, but it slid by. Seconds before, Kersten left an 8-foot birdie putt just short. On the second playoff hole, Kersten missed a 9-foot birdie putt and the teammates went to No. 12.

Haase laced her drive 290 yards and her 6-iron from 173 yards left her 25 feet from the cup. Kersten’s approach from just inside 200 yards found a greenside bunker. She caught the shot heavy and didn’t make it to the putting surface. She chipped within a couple of feet, but Haase closed it out with two putts.

Thoen opened with a three-putt bogey on No. 1.

“I wasn’t hitting the ball well on the range, so it was, ‘OK, this is what I have today,’ ” Thoen said. “I birdied No. 3 and I was kind of steady after that.”

Comes was 2-over through six and he hit an errant tee shot on the par-3 seventh.

“I hit it in the water, but it hit a rock and kicked it onto the green,” he said.

Thoen, Comes, Ansett and Correia will be joined at state next week at Hangman Valley by LC’s John-Michael Larson, Central Valley’s Dakota Pearce and Mead’s Evan Dyar.