PINEHURST, NC – The 2019 NCHSAA Women’s Golf State Championships concluded at three different courses in the Sandhills area with all but one round one leader holding their advantages on day two to secure state championships.
FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES ARCHIVE
1A/2A Championship: First Flight’s Schuster grabs her third straight title; Oak Grove wins school’s first State Championship
Junior Katherine Schuster won her third consecutive 1A/2A State Championship as she fired a 1-under, 71, on the final round to march to an eight-shot win over Katelyn Griggs from Gray Stone Day. Schuster cruised through the 5,215-yard layout at Longleaf Golf and Family Club, carding four birdies in her final round, including three on the final nine.
After finishing day one in a tie with Mount Pleasant for the team lead, Oak Grove got an excellent round from Karli Jump, who fired a 6-over, 78 to lead the team, as she finished at 22-over, 166, for the tournament in a tie for 11th. Emma Maddock contributed an 85 for her final round and Ashley Longbottom rounded out the team’s day 2 total with an 86. The group helped Oak Grove nab their first State Championship in school history.
1A/2A CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULTS
3A Championship: Lohbauer lifts Cox Mill past Rockingham County to snap Cougars’ four-year title streak
Elizabeth Lohbauer ran away from the field in the final round, posting a 2-under, 70, to finish with a 1-under, 143 total. Lohbauer ripped off three birdies in the opening five holes to card a 33 on the front nine at Foxfire Resort and Golf Course’s Red Fox Course. She maintained a four-shot overnight advantage on Emily Mathews from Eastern Alamance who also shot 70 in the final round.
Lohbauer combined with Riya Modak and Brook Sutton on day one to push Cox Mill out to a three-shot lead over four-time defending champions, Rockingham County. Kennedy Brady and Hailey Ellis joined the action for Cox Mill on day two, carding 79 and 81 respectively to help the Chargers to a 14-shot win over Rockingham County. The championship is Cox Mill’s first team State Championship in Women’s Golf.
4A Championship: Kenzel goes under par both days to lead Pinecrest to the team title
Pinecrest’s Jaclyn Kenzel entered the final day of the tournament just one shot behind teammate Mara Hirtle for the individual lead. Kenzel was nearly flawless in the final round, sinking an eagle putt on the second hole before a birdie on the sixth to take the lead. She had a minor bump in the road with a double bogey on the par 4, eighth hole, but quickly righted the ship to post pars for the remainder of the round and hold off Panther Creek’s Megan Morris by one shot.
The two teammates, Kenzel and Hirtle, had a dominant day one performance to give Pinecrest an eight-shot lead overnight over New Bern. Hirtle finished in third, just two shots off the pace at even-par, 144, for the tournament. Kitson O’Neal’s 164 rounded out the Patriots scoring and lifted them to the school’s fifth team State Championship.
Sportsmanship Awards
The NCHSAA is committed to promoting and recognizing good sportsmanship at all of our championship events. At the conclusion of today’s State Championships, one member from the top two teams in each championship as winners of the NCHSAA’s Sportsmanship Awards, presented by the North Carolina Farm Bureau. The winners from the 1A/2A Championship were Karli Jump from Oak Grove and Olivia Bey from Mount Pleasant. The winners from the 3A Championship were Hailey Ellis from Cox Mill and Olivia Peterson from Rockingham County. The winners from the 4A Championship were Jaclyn Kenzel and Mara Hirtle from Pinecrest and Emily Wellspeak from New Bern.
