Emma Payne was the last golfer to finish, but she didn’t know she just posted the lowest round of the day until she turned in her scorecard and saw the leaderboard. Her round of 75 led the field at the Region 2 girls golf tournament at Ben Hawes.
Payne and Owensboro Catholic teammate Maddi Roberts (82), along with Apollo’s Macey Brown (83), advanced to the state tournament as individuals. Daviess County finished first as a team with a 364 to earn the automatic berth for the state competition.
Payne, a junior, said all the dedication she’s put in this year has been to win the region.
“I’m in shock,” she said. “I worked all summer to get to this point. It paid off.”
The tournament had been pushed back twice already — from Monday to Wednesday and then Friday — due to heavy rain early in the week. Golfers had clear skies, but a wet course made conditions tougher than normal. Payne said she had to rely on her skills around the green to post a low round.
“My short game was working for me,” she said. “Putting definitely save me on a lot of things.”
Daviess County came away with the team trophy, though head coach Rachel Lindow said the score was higher than she was wanted. They edged out Madisonville-North Hopkins by three strokes, and she said they’ll need to lower their scores next week.
“Today is not a score I’m proud of, but I’m proud we made it,” she said. “We hung in there. There was a time I didn’t think we were going to get it. Some of my girls struggled today and they just had to work through their swing.”
Lindow said it was as much of a mental struggle as anything, but now that they’re going to state they can relax.
“I believe it was mostly mental,” she said. “Hopefully next week we can calm those nerves. We reached our goal of going to state, so hopefully we can have fun and just play our normal game.”
The Lady Panthers were led by Holly Holton (85), with other scores from Grace Heady (91), Addi Heady (91) and Kirsten Henderson (97).
The Lady Aces came in third with the rounds from Payne and Roberts, as well as Abby Bahnick (85) and RC Porter (141).
Apollo took fourth behind scores from Brown, Briley Carter (85), Brooke Brown (92) and Mary Ann Lyons (132).
Owensboro had two golfers compete as individuals in Savannah Gatton (92) and Angel Howson.
With the tournament being delayed twice, it’s a quick turnaround for the state tournament, a 36-hole event beginning Tuesday in Bowling Green.
Lindow said she’s telling her team to not feel too much pressure because they’ve already achieved what their goals. Payne said she’s taking the same approach.
“I’m just hoping to play good and have fun,” she said. “I hope to make sure my short game is working and I hit my drives good.”
