Hardware hogs: LCA comes away with four All ‘A’ Classic trophies

If Saturday’s All “A” Classic state golf championships were an episode of “Friends,” it would be called “The One Where Lexington Christian Wins Everything.”

LCA swept all four first-place trophies in Pulaski County on Saturday. The girls’ team won its first-ever team title at Woodson Bend Resort in Bronston while the boys, playing at Eagle’s Nest Country Club in Somerset, took their fifth All “A” championship in program history.

The girls shot 340 as a team, finishing nine strokes better than second-place Murray (349). It was the team’s first victory under second-year coach William B. Frye, who’s known by his middle initial.

“I think winning will breed more winning, because it’s gonna give them confidence and it’s gonna grow the program,” Frye said. “More girls are gonna want to be involved.”

The boys shot 294, which was 24 shots better than second-place Campbellsville (318). They had an eight-shot lead after nine holes before, “as the boys would say, ‘They released the hounds a little bit,’” LCA Coach Eric Geldhof said.

Laney Frye, the sophomore daughter of Coach Frye, won the girls’ individual title for the second straight season after shooting a 71, three strokes better than her performance as a freshman on the same course. She was tied for the lead on the turn but shot a 33 on the back nine to end with a seven-stroke victory over Murray’s Delaney Welsh.

“Last year it wasn’t necessarily expected but I think it was a lot of pressure on her to try and come back to defend,” William Frye said. “She did really well. I couldn’t be more proud.”

Jansen Preston, also a sophomore, shot a 69 to take individual honors for the boys. He finished fifth as a freshman after shooting a 1-over-72.

Geldhof likes where his team is as the postseason nears. The 9th Region Tournament — in which all of the Lexington boys’ teams compete — is set for Sept. 25 at Kearney Hill Golf Links. A first- or second-place team finish there would mean advancing to the state tournament, where three-time defending champion St. Xavier will likely lurk.

LCA has defeated St. Xavier in the two most recent tournaments they’ve met but the Tigers have gotten the better of the Eagles in several meetings this year and “are the best team in the state,” Geldholf said.

“I know we shot in one tournament, as a team, we shot 7-under-par and they still beat us,” Geldhof said. “We ran away from everybody. When we’ve got a guy shooting 68 and another man’s shooting 69, and then a 70, and a 71, you’re thinking you’re gonna win tournaments, but obviously we didn’t. But I really like my team.”

Geldhof, who operates Geldhof Golf Academy in Nicholasville, also enjoys seeing the girls get to share in the glory the boys have long enjoyed at LCA.

“We’ve united them the last two years so that we’re all doing the same things now. We’re putting several teams out in tournaments, we’re doing the same prep, got the same buying power for shirts,” Geldhof said. “Before, both programs were separate, but now they’re both on the same page, if that makes sense.

“Because the boys’ team has always been successful, why can’t the girls’ team be? We’re feeding the team the same way, as in, we’ve got a junior high program on their side now whereas we’ve always had one on the boys’ side. They practice at my facility. It’s fun to watch them have some growth.”

Lexington’s girls’ golf teams compete in the 7th Region. That tournament is scheduled for Sept. 26 at Keene Run Golf Club in Nicholasville.

This story was originally published September 12, 2017 at 2:03 PM with the headline "Hardware hogs: LCA comes away with four All ‘A’ Classic trophies."