Macey Brown of Apollo will look to grab her second straight state championship, while fellow E-gals teammates Mary Ann Lyons and Claire Reynolds, Holly Holton of Daviess County and Alexa Salamah of Owensboro will look to leave their mark at the KHSAA State Golf Championships.
Apollo
The E-gals have three players competing individually, as Brown, Lyons and Reynolds all look to compete at a high level in the state championship.
Lyons led the way with an 81, giving her the sixth spot overall at the Second Region Tournament. Brown finished in seventh place overall with an 81 as well, a score that she would’ve preferred to be a lot higher.
Regardless, she was able to qualify and was joined by a third teammate in Reynolds who won a play-off to advance after shooting an 89.
Meanwhile, Lyons has been hard at work in the days leading up to state in hopes of maximizing her potential when play opens on Tuesday.
“I have been preparing for state by practicing everyday and making sure not to wear myself out so that I can play to the best of my ability the first day and qualify for the second day,” Lyons said.
A key focal point for Lyons is her short game, knowing that the greens aren’t what she is used to so she will have to adjust.
“The biggest challenge I think I will face this week is for sure putting because these greens are a lot faster than what I am used to, and probably my chipping because I have to make sure to hit the right spot or else it will go either way short or way past the hole,” Lyons said.
While they aren’t technically a team with only three players, Lyons is thrilled to be able to compete alongside her teammates at state.
“I am looking forward most to just being able to come to state with what we have of a team and be able to show what I can do but also to just have fun,” Lyons said.
All in all, Lyons is looking forward to the opportunity to qualify for the second day and give herself a chance at a state title.
“My ultimate goal for state is to simply just qualify for the second day and if not, then to just try to keep a good attitude and play the best I can,” Lyons said.
Reynolds said that she’s been practicing on the mental side of the game and worked on improving her short game in order to shave strokes off her score at state.
“I have been working on hitting my numbers when pitching and putting a lot,” Reynolds said. “I think that staying patient and putting will be very big.”
Reynolds has high expectations for herself and is looking forward to competing and gaining experience in her first trip to state.
“I think the competitiveness is what I look forward to the most,” Reynolds said. My goal is to place in the top 10.”
Holly Holton
Holton is looking to make a big splash in the state championship, as she looks to finish amongst the best in the commonwealth to cap off her high school career.
The Lady Panther shot an 80 in the Second Region Tournament, giving her fourth place overall to qualify for state
In hopes of keeping her score lower at state, Holton is preparing for fast greens and utilizing her irons to find success.
“To prepare I’ve been working on the range a bit with my irons,” Holton said. “If I can keep my irons locked in, it will make scoring low at Bowling Green a lot easier. At the practice round I plan to spend a lot of time on the putting green to get acclimated to the speed of the greens. Their greens are twice as fast as local golf courses. I’ve been holding off on that aspect so I’m not overwhelmed at the difference.”
Holton said the biggest thing that she will have to emphasize in her game on Monday will be limiting herself to one-putts as much as possible.
“My biggest challenge definitely lies in putting,” Holton said. ‘Simply because Bowling Greens greens roll so much faster. Any minuscule mistake on those greens can cost you 1 to 2 strokes which add up to a lot by the end of the game.”
Along with it being her final state tournament appearance being a senior, Holton is also excited to compete against a familiar foe.
“I’m looking forward to playing with one of my favorite competitors again, Cate Blane,” Holton said. “We played together at regionals too, and we get along really well. It’s always nice knowing someone familiar in such an intense tournament. I’m also looking forward to this being my last official tournament of my high school career. It’s bittersweet to see it ending, but hopefully we can go out with a good one, and make some more memories before it’s over. “
All in all, Holton’s goal is to try to replicate her score from last year and put herself in position to compete for a title on day two.
“My goal is to shoot under the 90s,” Holton said. “Last year at state I played really well and shot 83-81. If I can get close to that again this year I will be more than happy. I plan to qualify for day two. I set that milestone for the first time last year and I have hopes that I can accomplish it this year too.”
Alexa Salamah
Salamah will look to have a strong appearance in state as an eighth grader, this time with a little experience under her belt with back-to-back years of qualifying.
The Lady Devil is making her second straight appearance in the state championship, this time qualifying with an 86 to earn eighth overall at the Second Region Tournament.
“I’m looking forward to the experience and atmosphere at state,” Salamah said. “It’s a privilege to be a part of it and I’m excited that I get a chance to golf with some great golfers.”
Salamah said that with the course being much longer, she’s been focusing on driving as well as her short-game.
“Since the state tournament is a long course I’ve been trying to get more distance with my clubs and also been working on my putting,” Salamah said.
In returning to state for the second year in a row, Salamah said that the mental aspect of the game will be her biggest challenge on Tuesday.
“I think being mentally prepared would be my biggest challenge,” Salamah. “A lot of things can go wrong on that course so trying to remain positive and focus on the next shot is very important.”
Salamah said that her goal is to improve her score given some recent adjustments she’s made and make her way to day two of state with a calculated approach.
“I would really like to make more green regulations,” Salamah said. “I’ve made a few changes with my swing the past month so I’m hoping that will help with consistency on my approach shots.”
