For the fourth straight year, the Lady Marshals are the First Region champions, taking the title by 47 strokes over runner-up Murray. They will make their fourth straight trip to the KHSAA State Golf Championships where in 2019 they finished third with a two-day score of 340-334=674.
Trinity Beth won the individual title with a 1-over par round of 73 and three teammates finished at 2-over to give the Lady Marshals the top four places of the tournament. Megan Hertter, Savannah Howell and Katie Roberts all shot 74 to tie for second place.
Beth said it was a goal of hers coming into the season to win a region tournament individual title.
“I just needed to stay steady and everything was going to work out”, Beth said of her round that could easily have been a few under par after several birdie putts rolled to the edge of the cup.
Just 4-over par as a team after the front nine, the Lady Marshals went on to finish with 295, second place went to Murray (342) and McCracken County placed third (346).
A team score of 295 makes the Lady Marshals a favorite in the Oct. 9-10 KHSAA State Golf Championships in Bowling Green, especially following their 32-stroke victory in the KGCA All-State Tournament Sept. 19-20, beating last year’s state champion and runner-up. It is 30 strokes better than their region tournament win in 2019.
“It was the most solid round we’ve played all year, one through five”, Head Coach Aaron Beth said. “It was some tough conditions, the wind really picked up there on the back, but they just kept making pars and making pars and a birdie in there every once in a while, maybe a bogey.”
Beth parred the first six holes, leaving a couple birdie putts just sitting on the edge of the cup. She bogeyed #7 but got it back with a birdie on the par four 8th and the ball hung on the lip of the cup on #9 once again for par to finish the front nine with a even par 36.
Howell also played a steady front nine to finish even after a nice birdie on the par five 9th hole. Katie Roberts carded a 2-over 38 for her front nine and in the final group, Hertter finished the front nine 2-over along with Madison Glisson of McCracken County, and Murray’s Mary Browder Howell finished the front nine at +3.
The Lady Marshals solid play continued on the back nine, Beth shooting par on holes 10-17 with just one blemish, a bogey on the 18th hole for her round of 73 (+1). Roberts bogeyed 11, 12 and 13 but finished with birdies on three of the last four holes to finish with 74 (+2). Hertter had three birdies and three bogeys on the back nine for her 2-over par 74 and Howell bogeyed three on the back nine before finishing out with a birdie and par for her round of 74 (+2). Elsie Riley rounded out the Lady Marshals scores with 88 (+16) to finish tied at 17th.
“To shoot 73, 74, 74, 74 for your low four scores…seven over…makes coaching easy”, Coach Beth said.
Lyon County’s Cathryn Brown finished fifth with a round of 75 (+3). Brown was 2-over after the front nine, birdied 12 and was standing over a birdie putt on the 16th hole to get to even and make a run for the title, but carded a double-bogey to go back to +2. She went on to birdie #14 and finished out her round with two pars and two bogeys.
Brown qualified for state as an individual along with six others including Mary Browder Howell, 76 (Murray), Claire Whitaker, 78 (Murray), Skylar Waller, 78 (Calloway County), Ellie West, 79 (Graves County), Maddie Glisson, 80 (McCracken County) and Autumn Dowdy, 82 (Ballard Memorial).
Photo gallery from Tuesday’s regional championship (click to scroll)
