A course record and a comeback for Lexington Christian’s golfers at All State
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- Parker Geldhof shot a course-record 62 to win the boys individual title at -8.
- LCA girls rallied on Big Blue course to edge Sacred Heart for team championship.
- All State successes position LCA golfers for momentum entering KHSAA postseason.
Lexington Christian got a course-record performance from Parker Geldhof and a gutty comeback by its girls team as both rallied to victories Sunday against a collection of the state’s best high school golfers in the All State Championships two-day event at the University Club of Kentucky.
Geldhof’s 9-under round of 62 over the U Club’s 6,651-yard, par-71 Wildcat Course layout on Sunday set the new standard and helped the LCA junior finish at 8-under for the tournament, two shots ahead of Allen County-Scottsville’s Barton Rutledge and South Oldham’s Colton Woosley.
“Today, I knew I had to come out with an under-par round and I did. I was pretty excited,” Geldhof said, grossly understating what he had just put together.
Geldhof bogeyed two of his last three holes Saturday on the Big Blue Course to enter the second round at 1-over par. That put him six shots and 20 golfers behind Woosley, Saturday’s leader.
But by the turn on Sunday, Geldof rocketed into contention with four birdies and an eagle over his first six holes. He got three more birdies on the back nine and waited at the range for the rest of the field to finish because he anticipated a playoff.
“I waited around for a little bit, because I knew it was going to be a close finish. The guys behind me were playing good,” he said.
But no one could keep pace.
Lexington Christian’s girls team, which entered the weekend’s competition tied with 9th Region-rival Madison Central for the All State team points lead, started Sunday’s second round five shots behind the Indians in second place with a four-golfer total of 20-over par as they struggled on the Wildcat Course.
The Eagles took to Big Blue much better Sunday as freshman Caroline Lankford eagled the 413-yard, par-5 fifth hole on her way to a 2-under 70. Her teammates held it together, too, combining for a four-golfer total of 5 over in the second round.
That helped LCA rally to first place with a two-day total of 25 over, three shots better than Sacred Heart and six shots in front of Madison Central.
“It’s awesome to have an All State title under our belt,” LCA coach Matt Soale said. “I would say yesterday was a grind … but today we had a lot of really young players step up and do what they hadn’t done yet this year, and it was incredible to see.”
Freshman Elle Chamberland and eighth grader Piper Dunn each shot 3 over on Sunday to go with senior Carter Lankford’s 1-over round. That let LCA throw out the 7-over second round score of junior Grace Soale, who contributed as one of the team’s best finishers the day before.
“It was a good two days,” Carter Lankford said. “There were definitely some stressful moments, but we’re really excited that we were able to come back.”
Marshall County’s Trinity Beth claimed the girls individual title with a score of 12-under par, three shots ahead of Ballard Memorial’s Madison Glisson.
For the second year in a row, St. Xavier (8 under) topped Madison Central (4 under) for the All State boys team title.
The All State Championships bring together the top 15 boys and girls high school golf teams and the top 21 individual golfers outside those teams based on the Kentucky Golf Coaches Association’s All State points standings going into the event’s weekend.
The All State Championships fall a week before the KHSAA postseason and good performances against the state’s best has been used as a springboard for success at the following region and state tournaments. On the flip side, disappointing performances at All State have been used as motivation.
Last year, after its boys All State runner-up finish, Madison Central went on to claim its third consecutive KHSAA state championship.
LCA’s golfers hope All State will be a catalyst.
“We’ve got what it takes to be good,” said Geldhof, whose team finished fourth Sunday. “We’ve just got to piece it together. And I think this could be it, where it pushes us to the next level.”
Carter Lankford knows a win this week is nice but no guarantee of postseason success.
“It gives us some confidence going into it,” Lankford said. “Wins are good, but we’re still focused on what we have to do, because Madison Central is a great team.”
KGCA All State Championships
Top teams and individual medalists from the two-day KGCA All State Championships at the University Club of Kentucky’s Big Blue (par 72, 6,663/5,358 yards) and Wildcat (par 71, 6,651/5,497 yards) courses. Ties broken by scorecard tiebreaker rules. Complete results online — boys at www.golfgenius.com/pages/11892224763306721132; girls at www.golfgenius.com/pages/11892220958267686758
BOYS INDIVIDUAL MEDALISTS
1. Parker Geldhof, LCA, -8, 73-62—135; 2. Barton Rutledge, Allen County-Scottsville, -6, 68-69—137; 3. Colton Woosley, South Oldham, -6, 67-70—137; 4. Brody Alexander, St. Xavier, -5, 72-66—138 5. Layton Richey, Greenwood, -4, 71-68—139; 6. Bradford Lacefield, Woodford County, -4, 69-70—139; 7. Tucker Jones, Madison Central, -4, 69-70—139; 8. Jack Burrice, Trinity, -3, 73-67—140; 9. Will Judd, Christian Academy of Louisville, -2, 72-69—141; 10. Carson Nicholas, Henry Clay, -2, 66-75—141.
GIRLS INDIVIDUAL MEDALISTS
1. Trinity Beth, Marshall County, -12, 65-66—131; 2. Madison Glisson, Ballard Memorial, -9, 68-66—134; 3. Emerson Bowling, Franklin County, -4, 72-67—139; 4. Keira Yun, Sacred Heart, -3, 71-69—140; 5. Athena Singh, Rowan County, -2, 71-70—141; 6. Willa Borough, Frederick Douglass, -1, 66-76—142; 7. Brooklynn Bohnert, Sacred Heart, +2, 72-73—145; 8. Caroline Childers, Bowling Green, +2, 72-73—145; 9. Caroline Lankford, LCA, +3, 76-70—146; 10. Parker Haddix, Lexington Catholic, +3, 74-72—146.
BOYS TEAM STANDINGS
1. St. Xavier, -8; 2. Madison Central, -4; 3. McCracken County, +8; 4. LCA, +13; 5. Eastern, +14; 6. Ryle, +22; 7. Trinity, +24; 8. Oldham County, +30; 9. Henry Clay, +42; 10. Marshall County, +47; T11. Scott County, +49; T11. Frederick Douglass, +49; 13. Taylor County, +52; 14. Hazard, +54; 15. Russell County, +73.
GIRLS TEAM STANDINGS
1. LCA, +25; 2. Sacred Heart, +28; 3. Madison Central, +31; 4. Marshall County, +63; 5. Daviess County, +72; 6. Frederick Douglass, +77; 7. Owen County, +82; 8. Bowling Green, +83; 9. Franklin County, +90; 10. West Jessamine, +109; 11. Taylor County, +111; 12. Ohio County, +131; 13. Ryle, +135; 14. Henderson County, +142; 15. South Oldham, +147.
9th Region Championships
Sept. 22: Boys at The University Club at Arlington in Richmond.
Sept. 24: Girls at Lakeside Golf Course.
KHSAA State Championships
Sept. 29: Girls State First Round at Winchester Country Club.
Sept. 30: Boys State First Round at Winchester Country Club.
Oct. 7-8: Girls State Final Rounds at Bowling Green Country Club.
Oct. 9-10: Boys State Final Rounds at Bowling Green Country Club.
This story was originally published September 15, 2025 at 7:31 AM.
