2018 NCHSAA WOMEN’S GOLF STATE CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP

October 22, 2018

1A/2A: First Flight’s Schuster goes back-to-back; Gray Stone Day wins first team title

PINEHURST, N.C. – Foxfire Resort’s Grey Fox Course saw First Flight’s Katherine Schuster win her second straight 1A/2A Women’s Individual Championship cruising past the field by four strokes. Gray Stone Day rose to their first-ever team title in Women’s Golf by holding off Raleigh Charter by ten shots on the final day.

After a 4-under 68, Schuster held a six-shot advantage over Mallory Fobes from Forbush after the first round of play. Schuster was almost perfect on the opening day of play, carding five birdies, three on the front nine, with just one bogey, coming as she made the turn on the par-4 tenth hole. She rolled off a final round 1-under 71 to bring home the crown in 5-under 139. Schuster carded two birdies on her final round and a single bogey on the day.

Gray Stone Day made up a three-shot deficit against Raleigh Charter on the final day, outscoring the Phoenix golfers by 13 shots in the last round to win the school’s first team state championship in women’s golf. Lauren Denhard led the way for Gray Stone Day posting a 14-over 158 on the tournament. Katelyn Griggs carded 182 with Aliza Simpson bringing in a 214 to post a combined score of 122-over 554 and claim the victory.

Second place Raleigh Charter finished the tournament with a combined 132-over 564. Grace Greene led the way for Raleigh Charter with a 33-over 177. Lily Rowe contributed a 178 to the team effort with Julia Greene chipping in a 209.

Full-Field Reuslts (FINAL): PDF | Plain Text

3A: Rockingham County clinches fourth-straight team title; Asheville’s Tsiros rolls to individual crown

PINEHURST, N.C. – Rockingham County women’s golfers are no stranger to the top of the leaderboard at the NCHSAA Women’s Golf Championships. The 2018 edition at Longleaf Golf and Family Club was no different for the Lady Cougars as they held on for the school’s fourth straight team State Championship in women’s golf. Asheville’s Ana Tsiros slept on a three-shot lead after day one and did not falter on the way to the school’s first title of any kind in women’s golf.

Rockingham County ladies overcame a two-stroke deficit through the final round, overtaking Cox Mill for the top spot. Riley Hamilton finished third overall and powered the way for the Cougars, firing a 2-over 74 in the final round to help push the team total down to 61-over 493 for two rounds. Victoria Cook and Elli Flinchum also put together solid second round finishes to help lift the Cougars past the Chargers. Cook shot 161 for the tournament to finish in a tie for seventh and Flinchum ended with 182 tied for 34th.

The win made Rockingham County the second school in NCHSAA women’s golf history to win the Team State Championship for four consecutive years. Salisbury was the first to do it back in 2011-2014 when they won the 1A/2A Championship four years in a row.

Tsiros carded a 2-under 70 in the opening round, leading by three over Hickory’s Anna McDonald as play began on day two. The lone blemish on Tsiros’ opening day card was a double bogey on the par-4 thirteenth hole, which she erased with four birdies during the round. She continued her steady play on day two, starting on the back nine and clicking off pars except for a lone birdie on the par-five sixteenth. She closed the back nine with three bogeys and a balance of pars to finish the tournament at even-par 144, four shots better than Kayla Smith from Burlington Williams.

Full-Field Reuslts (FINAL): PDF | Plain Text

4A: Reagan sweeps team and individual as Hayes leads the way for Raiders

PINEHURST, N.C. – The Reagan Raiders were steady on day two at Pinehurst No. 3 as the team swept both the team and individual titles at the 4A ranks.

Reagan’s Sasha Hayes sat in a four-way tie for first after the first round of play, and in the final round, she carded par after par while watching competitors fall by the wayside down the stretch. Hayes shot 4-over 74 in the opening round, including a pair of birdies and six bogeys. She held the line at even-par through the front nine on day two with a pair of birdies to go with two bogeys. Hayes finished the tournament 4-over 144, six shots clear Pinecrest’s Mara Hirtle who finished second. Hayes was the second individual champion in women’s golf from Reagan High, the first since Victoria Allred in 2011.

The Raiders rode Hayes’ performance to the title, holding off Pinecrest by six shots and combining for a 38-over 458 two-round total. Reagan entered the final round trailing Pinecrest by two shots overall. Morgan Ketchum put up a 14-over 154 for the Raiders to finish sixth overall. Teammate Mary Slade White was just six shots behind her with a 20-over 160 to wind up in a tie for 13th.

Second place Pinecrest’s low rounds came from Hirtle who fired a 10-over 150 to finish in second. Jaclyn Kenzel and Lorin Wagler added scores of 151 and 163, respectively, to help the Patriots post 44-over 464 for the tournament.

Full-Field Reuslts (FINAL): PDF | Plain Text

DAY 1 HIGHLIGHT

There was a hole-in-one during the tournament today. At the 4A Championship at Pinehurst No. 3, Richmond County’s Hailey Miller aced the par 3, 8th hole. It played 166 yards on today’s card. The ace was the first in the NCHSAA Women’s Golf Championship since the 2016 3A Tournament when Weddington’s Joyce Zhang holed the tee shot on the par 3, 11th hole at Longleaf Golf and Country Club. The year prior, in the 1A/2A Tournament, East Wake Academy’s Kaitlyn Seastrunk also had a hole-in-one at Longleaf.