Xavier Prep’s golf team made a strong bid for its second straight state Division championship and 38th in school history on Tuesday (Nov. 2), but the Gators fell a bit short and finished as runner-up behind Peoria Liberty by a scant three shots.
The
tournament was played on Monday (Nov. 1) and Tuesday at the Omni Tucson
National Resort’s Sonoran Course.
The finale
ended up the same as it did after the first round – Liberty, followed by Xavier
and Chandler Hamilton. The rest of the 12-team field didn’t really have a
chance this time around.
About
halfway through the final round, Xavier was tied with Liberty for the lead, but
fell back a bit and did not recover.
The Gators
had plenty of support from all of their teammates (18 total), who rode buses down
to Tucson for the finale. Players were given T-shirts with their names on them
and heard a few emotional words from the senior group after being a part of the
runner-up trophy presentation.
“They
(Liberty) played well and they deserved it,’’ said Xavier co-head coach Sr.
Lynn Winsor.
Liberty
senior Mattie Frick, who was the individual winner in 2020, dueled Hamilton’s
Jennifer Seo throughout this tournament. Seo shot a 70 in the finale and hung
on to win with a 134 total, and Frick shot 68 to finish at 138.
The top two
finishers for Xavier were junior Annie Dawson, who was in a tie for fifth at
143, and senior Ivy Song, who was seventh at 144.
“We’re
(Winsor, co-head coach Tui Selvaratnam and assistant Jane Ladensack) so proud
of those two girls, so proud of all of them,’’ Winsor said.
Sophomore
Kate Hauptman struggled in her opening round, but came back to shoot a 2-under-par
69 on Tuesday.
“That first
round was hard for her, but she came back and played wonderfully,’’ Winsor
said.
Sophomores
Jayden Jevnick and Lena Durette shot 159 and 161, respectively.
Hauptman was
tied for 14th, Jevnick tied for 26th and Durette tied for
28th, according to the iWannamaker score tabulation system.
“The
competitiveness in golf around the state seems to be getting better and better
every year,’’ Winsor said. “Everyone is going to have to be on their toes, and
we know we will.’’
Team scores – Peoria Liberty 593, Xavier Prep 596, Chandler Hamilton 603,
Phoenix Pinnacle 613, Anthem Boulder Creek 617, Phoenix Desert Vista 647,
Gilbert Highland 651, Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor 681, Glendale Mountain Ridge
713, Gilbert Perry 715, Tempe Corona del Sol 717, Tucson Rincon/University 749.
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