Mead’s Howell narrowly claims district golf title
On a day when Tigers roared the loudest, a Panther came out on top.
Mead junior Lauren Howell fired a 3-over-par 75 at The Creek at Qualchan Wednesday to go with an even-par 72 Monday at Esmeralda to earn a one-stroke victory in the District 8 4A girls golf tournament.
Howell’s 36-hole 147 for the Panthers was one stroke better than freshman Chessey Thomas, a St. George’s student playing for LC’s Tigers. The pair were tied going into the final day of the tournament, a shot behind LC’s Katrina Bech, who finished third.
“It was kind of a frustrating day,” Howell said. “The greens were slow and we all had trouble putting. There were a lot of three-putts out there in our foursome.”
Thomas struggled with greens as well, despite driving well and putting herself in position to score.
“The greens were just so slow that you couldn’t get your putts to drop,” she said. “I just kept putting each hole out of my mind and concentrated on the hole I was playing.”
Howell had several opportunities to add to her lead, only to have puts lip off the cup. She placed her second shot on the par-four 12th hole inside 6 feet, but twice had putts roll off the lip of the cup and rim out and ended up with a bogey 5.
Thomas was among four LC golfers who qualified to play in the girls state tournament, May 22 and 23 at the Avalon Golf Links in Burlington, and a fifth will serve as an alternate.
Thomas said she played the 27-hole, Robert Muir Graves-designed state course over spring break.
“I like the course,” she said. “Right now, I don’t have any problems with my game. I’m hitting the ball straight and putting the ball where I want it.”
Ferris senior Lauren Kato finished fourth, shooting 79 to finish the two-day event with a 154.
Brittany Wilcox, like Howell a Mead junior, was fifth after shooting 84 at Qualchan and finishing with a 161.
University freshman Kaitlen Parsons, who aced Esmeralda’s 12th hole and finished with a 4-over 76 Monday, shot an 84 to earn herself a state berth. Central Valley senior Katie Sorenson, who played in Parson’s foursome, turned in a steady 84 to finish with a 165 to advance.
LC sophomores Morgan Fuhs and Emily Travis needed a sudden-death playoff to earn their state tournament berths.
Fuhs, Travis and Mead’s Devon Plopper each finished with a 36-hole 169, tied for eighth. Fuhs carded a par on the first sudden-death playoff hole to claim the eighth state berth. Travis earned the ninth and final state ticket with a bogey on the second.
“That wasn’t the way I planned on getting to state, but I’m glad I’m going,” Travis said.