Stillwater secured the school’s first state championship in girls golf, and it happened at Stillwater Country Club. The Pioneers carded a 615 to win the Class 6A title by 11 strokes, toppling two-time defending state champion Jenks. The runner-up Trojans shot a 626, and Edmond North placed third with a 641.
Second-year Stillwater coach Angela Knott, the Pioneers’ former junior high coach, has treasured the opportunity to watch the golfers grow up and handle the pressure of competing at state with the eyes of their hometown upon them.
Three Stillwater golfers finished in the top 10, but the individual title went to Norman North sophomore Juliana Hong, who carded a 1-over 141 through two rounds.
When she walked off the 18th green, her teammates surprised her with the news she was holding the lead.
The wind had picked up since Monday, adding a challenge as everyone finished over par, but Hong managed to birdie the second and sixth holes for another solid start.
Since she had one of the earlier tee times Tuesday, her fate was out of her hands after her final putt.
Yang Eric Hong, her father, also waited at the clubhouse as results trickled in. He said Juliana, who won the Class 6A West regional title during the past week, is relatively new to golf, starting around age 10.
She dabbled in a variety of other sports, from gymnastics to figure skating, but golf stuck.
Since then, Hong’s meteoric rise through the American Junior Golf Association and high school leaderboards has taken her family on a surprising but rewarding journey.
Hong reflected this approach, bouncing back from bogeys to retain the lead she didn’t know she had.
Lucy Darr was Hong’s nearest challenger, but the Stillwater senior shot a 144 through two rounds to place second. Darr was paired with fellow Oklahoma State signee Rylee Roberts, the Edmond North senior who fired a 158 to place 12th.
Hong and Nikki Pitts of Stillwater were the only sophomores to finish in the top 10, while juniors and seniors comprised the rest of the group. Pitts placed eighth, and junior teammate Amy Reavis, who also carded a 155, finished ninth with the tiebreaker. Stillwater freshman Maggie Ruby placed 16th with a 161, opening the second round with a birdie on the first hole, and senior Jade Gosney shot a 166.
Together, the Pioneers accepted their trophy from OSU alumnus Chris Tidland, the golf pro at Stillwater Country Club, as their community cheered them on.
“That was the coolest part, having all of our family and friends out here watching,” Darr said. “There were a lot of members out here, too, watching, that we know and that we play golf with, so that was pretty cool.”
Layne Ailshie wins Class 4A title, leads Fort Gibson to team crown
Fort Gibson’s Layne Ailshie had some catching up to do as she entered the second round of the Class 4A state tournament.
Sitting in third place and six shots behind the leader, her teammate and fellow senior Katelyn Rigsby, the University of Central Oklahoma signee knew she needed to have a good day in order to win her second individual state title.
Although Ailshie ended up finishing exactly as she did in round one with an 8-over 81, that was enough to help her come away with the win.
Ailshie won the title by two strokes over Sulphur junior Paisley Eason and 10 shots over Rigsby, but that wasn’t the only medal she won. Fort Gibson claimed its second girls golf state championship as it finished with a team score of 677, while Marlow placed second with a 711 and Clinton was third with a 735.
This latest victory caps a stellar high school career for Ailshie, who placed second at the state tournament as a freshman, won the title as a sophomore and tied for third last year.
Ailshie said her ability to perform under pressure improved from last season and that was a big reason she claimed the title.
As a team, Fort Gibson had a dominant tournament.
The Tigers led by 26 strokes at the end of the first round and cruised from there.
