Lovell finds his level
Sandpoint High senior Joey Lovell has had a bad case of senioritis this spring.
He shook off the “ailment” Wednesday afternoon, capturing his first 4A Region I boys medalist title and qualifying for state for a fourth time by knocking off Moscow freshman Chris Williams in a one-hole playoff under sunny skies at Prairie Falls Golf Club in Post Falls.
Lovell and Williams finished at 1-over-par 71. Moscow captured the boys title by shooting 329. Sandpoint also qualified for state with 341, two strokes ahead of Post Falls.
Freshman Genavive Dodge of Post Falls shot a career-best 81 to lead the Trojans to victory in the 4A Region I girls tourney. Runner-up Moscow also qualified with 374.
In the 5A Region I girls tourney, Michelle Olsen of Coeur d’Alene bettered her personal best by 12 strokes with an 80 as the Vikings captured the title with a school-record 347. Runner-up Lewiston (371) also qualified for state by eclipsing the 380 qualifying mark, which was lowered from 405 from a year ago.
The State 4A tourney is Monday and Tuesday at Teton Lakes Golf Course in Rexburg. The State 5A tourney is the same days at Pine Crest Golf Course in Idaho Falls.
4A Region I boys: Lovell and Williams ripped long drives on the playoff hole.
Close enough to throw their balls to the green, they stubbed their chips. Lovell’s third shot ran three feet past the pin, and he made the comeback putt as Williams needed two putts from 10 feet.
Lovell didn’t play as if he’s been hit and miss at practice recently. Most of his drives were consistently straight and longer than 300 yards.
“I got kind of discouraged because Hidden Lakes (his home course) is being closed,” Lovell said of plans that call for a complete makeover. “I haven’t practiced that much at all. Some of it is it’s my senior year. But when I go out I’m serious about it.”
It was Lovell’s first victory since his first tournament as a freshman.
“I’ve had a lot of second places since then, so this is a confidence builder going to state,” Lovell said.
He birdied the par-5 No. 9 for a 1-over 37. Williams, who also birdied the ninth, shot 1-under 35.
Williams’ lead grew to four strokes after Lovell opened the back nine with back-to-back bogeys.
The lead shrunk to two when Williams had back-to-back three-putts on Nos. 13 and 14.
That margin held for two more holes before Lovell made the shot of the round. After finding his drive on the 370-yard No. 16 nestled in a dry, rocky hazard, Lovell hacked the ball out short of the green despite standing on rocks and grounding his club on a rock.
From a gully just in front of the green, Lovell lobbed a 50-yard chip to the back of the elevated green. He thought it would nestle near the pin.
He didn’t see it tap the flag and fall.
As Lovell reached for his bag, one of the players told him he made the chip.
“It went in?” a stunned Lovell asked. “Your serious, it went in?”
Lovell retrieved the ball and moments later he found himself tied at the top when Williams bogeyed.
Lovell birdied No. 17 and Williams forged a playoff with a birdie on 18.
In the girls tourney, Dodge overcame an out-of-bounds penalty that resulted in a triple bogey on the 15th to shoot a season-best by eight strokes.
“I was scared to death yesterday,” Davis said of thinking about the state-qualifying tourney. “I just wanted to break 90.”
5A Region I girls: Four Vikings shot 90 or better as CdA cruised to the title.
Olsen, a first-time medalist, hadn’t broken 90 before. She fired a 4-over 38 on the back nine and just missed a 6-footer on 18 that would have given her 79.
“I didn’t have any blowup holes,” Olsen said.
CdA co-coach Melody Melton choked back tears talking about the Vikings.
“I can’t tell you how hard these girls have worked,” Melton said. “It’s just proof that hard work pays off.”