Pierce County’s Lady Bear golf program held its own on the big stage of two prestigious tournaments finishing third in each.
PCHS began the week playing Monday, March 24 in the Lady Viking Classic hosted by Lowndes High at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club where they finished third in the field of 21 teams.
“This was an awesome tournament with a lot of quality competition,” said head coach Stuart Stipe. “Some of the best public school golf teams in the state were there. If you want to find out how good you are, go play Kinderlou Forest. The course rewards the good shots/decisions and punishes the bad ones.”
The Lady Bears also finished third Saturday, March 29 in the 15-team North Gwinnett Girls Invitational at the Bear’s Best Atlanta Golf Course in Suwanee featuring three other defending champions in Class 4A, Class 5A and Class 7A.
The Lady Bears hosted Appling County Tuesday, April 1 at Okefenokee Country Club. They will have a two-week break before hosting Vidalia (Tuesday, April 15) and Frederica Academy (Thursday, April 17) to close out the season.
The Area 2-AA tournament is scheduled for Tuesday, April 22 with PCHS serving as host at Okefenokee Country Club.
Lady Viking Classic
VALDOSTA — Class 6A Carrollton won the rain-soaked tournament in a playoff over the Class 6A Lady Vikings after both teams finished tied at 222. Class 2A Pierce County was third with a 235.
Rounding out the Top 10 were Class 6A Richmond Hill (241), Class 6A Tift County (242), Class 2A Morgan County (242), Class 4A Northside-Columbus 246, Class 6A Camden County (253), Ware County (261) and Class 3A LaGrange (277).
The rest of the field included Class 5A Coffee (283), Class 6A Colquitt County (283), Lowndes II (284), Class 5A Lee County (298), Class A DII Charlton County (300), Class A DI Berrien (304), Class 5A Thomas County Central (308) and Class 3A Bainbridge (309).
Scores for Carrollton II, Class 2A Cook and Class 6A Valdosta were not posted.
Lowndes’ Catherine Odom captured medalist honors in the field of 79 players in a playoff with Camden County’s Georgia Blount. The pair tied at fourunder-par 68 on the 5,364-yard layout. Odom fired nine-hole scores of 37-31 with eight birdies including six on the back nine.
PCHS’s Mackenzie Connell shot 36-35-71 with four birdies (three on front 9) to tie Carrollton’s Madi Simpson for third.
The Lady Bears’ Belle Sinclair posted 39-40-79 with a birdie on each side for a solo 16thplace finish.
Sisters Mollie Kate Dixon (40-45-85, birdie) and Brooke Dixon (44-41-85, birdie) finished in a four-way tie for 25th. They were joined by the Tift County duo of Mattie Hendrix and Riley Williams.
Chloe Lynn carded 46-44-90 for a solo 36th-place showing.
“I am proud of all the girls for different reasons,” said Stipe. “Especially Mackenzie for shooting under par and Belle for posting her lowest competitive score.”
North Gwinnett Girls Invitational
SUWANEE — Five-time Class 7A champion Lambert overpowered the 15-team field which included three other defending champions.
The Lady Longhorns, who won 10 of the last 11 state titles in the highest classification, shot a three-over-par team score of 219 to win by 21 shots over Class 6A host North Gwinnett.
Lambert’s Athena Yoo shot a blister five-under-par round of 67 to win medalist honors over teammate Zoe Duval, who shot even-par 72 in the field of 70 players.
PCHS, the two-time defending Class 2A champion and winners of three straight titles, shot 248 to trail North Gwinnett’s 240.
The Lady Bears were followed by Carrollton (250), defending Class 5A champion McIntosh (260), fourtime defending Class 4A champion North Oconee (263), Class 6A Walton, Class 4A Blessed Trinity (273), Class 6A Peachtree Ridge (277), Class 5A Milton (283), Class 5A Lanier (291), Class 6A Harrison (293), Class A Private School Fellowship Christian (311), Class 3A North Hall (340) and Class 6A Brookwood (344). Class 5A Gainesville only had two players.
Connell carded a 38-41-79 tying Carrollton’s Adeline Laney for eighth. Mollie Kate Dixon posted 40-40-80 to tie Lambert’s Fiona Kim for 10th.
Sinclair finished 46-43-89 tying Peachtree Ridge teammates Elsie Park and Yixin Zhou for 22nd.
Brooke Dixon shot 46-48-94 to finish in a three-way tie for 33rd with Blessed Trinity’s Bronwyn Comlish and Milton’s Elizabeth Anthony.
Lynn, who had the lone PCHS birdie, posted 46-5298 tying Gracelyn Watson of North Hall for 43rd.
