Rowan golfer pulls away to huge victory in girls state championship; Sacred Heart repeats
Rowan County’s Athena Singh ran away from the field of this year’s girls state golf tournament, carding a two-day total of 5-under par to win the individual title by nine shots at Bowling Green Country Club.
In the team standings, Sacred Heart rallied from a five-shot, first-day deficit to win its second consecutive team title by 12 strokes over Madison Central.
The Indians could not match Sacred Heart’s clutch final five holes on Saturday. The Valkyries’ Emma Lindemoen, Greer Wathen and Brooklynn Bonhert all birdied the par-5 No. 14 to help make it a race to the finish.
Then, Sacred Heart had just three bogeys from its four scoring golfers over the last four holes to pull away. Madison Central went 12-over par during that same span.
Singh, a junior already committed to University of Houston, was the only golfer under par for either day of the event with a 5-under score of 70-69—139 to finish ahead of second place Kenzie Willen of Cumberland County at 4 over.
Singh began the final round with a three-shot lead at 2-under par. She expanded it with two birdies and no bogeys on the front nine as her closest competitors fell away. Singh bogeyed the par-4 No. 12, but birdied Nos. 14 and 15 and parred out the rest of the way. Her two rounds included nine birdies, four bogeys and 23 pars.
The 2024 Leachman Buick-GMC-Cadillac KHSAA Girls State Golf Championship teed off Friday morning at Bowling Green Country club and was set up as a par 72 at 5,584 yards on Friday and 5,697 yards on Saturday.
From Lexington, Lexington Christian’s Carter Lankford (+9) and Henry Clay’s Kylah Lunsford (+10) finished sixth and in a tie for seventh, respectively.
Lexington Christian finished in third place as a team with a total of 76-over par, 14 shots behind second place Madison Central. Lankford’s score combined with those of Piper Dunn (+21), Caroline Lankford (+22) and Grace Soale (+25) with Lila Bard’s (+27) thrown out in the team format.
Sacred Heart’s scores included third place Lindemoen (+5) and tied for seventh-place Keira Yun (+10) along with Wathen (+15) and Bonhert (+20) with Charly Garner’s (+27) score tossed.
Madison Central’s second-place finish included Mollie Neeley (+13); Haley Federspiel (+16), Mackenzie Federspiel (+18) and Aubrey Barrow (+18) with the score of Amelia Harrell (+22) thrown out.
Girls State Golf Championship individual top 10
1. Athena Singh, Rowan County, -5, 70-69—139; 2. Kenzie Willen, Cumberland County, +4, 75-73—148; 3. Emma Lindemoen, Sacred Heart, +5, 75-74—149; T4. Reagan Ramage, Cooper, +6, 75-75—150; T4. Madison Glisson, Ballard Memorial, +6, 75-75—150; 6. Carter Lankford, Lexington Christian, +9, 77-76—153; T7. Kylah Lunsford, Henry Clay, +10, 76-78—154; T7. Keira Yun, Sacred Heart, +10, 78-76—154; T7. Claire Reynolds, Daviess County, +10, 81-73—154; 10. Caroline Childers, Bowling Green, +11, 80-75—155.
Girls State Golf Championship team results
1. Sacred Heart, +50, 316-310—626; 2. Madison Central, +62, 311-327—638; 3. Lexington Christian, +76, 325-327—652; 4. South Warren, +106, 341-341—682; 5. Daviess County, +107, 346-337—683; 6. Assumption, +141, 357-360—717; 7. West Jessamine, +144, 363-357—720; 8. Montgomery County, +146, 356-366—722; 9. Owen County, +148, 363-361—724.
Complete results online: khsaa.org/sports-sport-activities/fall/golf/
This story was originally published October 12, 2024 at 7:41 PM.
