A favorite coming into the 2020 KHSAA Girls State Golf Championships after their impressive 32-stroke win in September at the KGCA All-State Tournament and taking wins in all of their fall tournaments with the exception of one, the Lady Marshals rose to the occasion and took the title after a pressure-packed two days of golf at Bowling Green Country Club.
Leading with a team score of 314 after the first round on Friday, six strokes in front of two-time defending champion Lexington Christian with 320, the Lady Marshals shot nine strokes better on Saturday to finish at +43 (314-305=619) to take the win by 39 strokes over South Warren (324-334=658) and 40 strokes over both Sacred Heart (329-330=659) – the 2016 and 2017 state champions, and Lexington Christian (320-339=659) who tied for fourth.
It’s the first-ever state championship for the Marshall County girl’s golf program and just the second for a First Region team – Caldwell County winning the title in 1977. Going back to 1965, the Lady Marshals two-day score of 619 is the third best in the history of the state tournament behind Sacred Heart who scored 615 in 2013 and 617 in 2017.
Under second-year head coach, Aaron Beth, the future looks very bright with all players returning next year.
Trinity Beth led round one individual scores for the Lady Marshals with 75 (+3) and just two strokes back were teammates Savannah Howell and Megan Hertter both with rounds of 77 (+5). Katie Roberts shot 85 (+13) and Elsie Riley 87 (+15).
Beth came into Saturday’s second round four shots off the lead and Howell and Herrter six shots back. Madison Central’s Elizabeth Eberle led after the first round with a 2-under par 70.
Beth was even par on the front nine and two-over on the back in Saturday’s round with a birdie finish on #18 to finish 2-over par and 5-over for the tournament to take fourth place in the state. She was four strokes back of Apollo’s Macey Brown (+1) who won the individual title in a playoff with Eberle from Madison Central. Third place went to another Macie Brown from Bullitt East at 3-over.
Howell was on fire with three birdies and six pars on Saturday’s front nine to go 3-under par for the tournament. She birdied #10 to drop to 4-under and finished out the remaining eight holes with four pars, three bogeys and a double-bogey to shoot a 1-over 73 and finish 6-over for the tournament in fifth place.
Hertter put together two good days of golf to tie for 16th. She finished Saturday’s round with an 8-over par 80 to finish 13-over for the tournament. Roberts made the biggest move, improving by seven strokes on Saturday, shooting 6-over 78 to finish 19-over and take 37th place in the state. Riley rounded out the Marshall County scores with a round of 93 on Saturday to finish tied for 69th.
Final scores for the Lady Marshals:
Beth +5 (75-74=149)
Howell +6 (77-73=150)
Hertter +13 (77-80=157)
Roberts +19 (85-78=163)
Riley +36 (87-93=180)
