High school girls golf: Nicole Thomas, Ogden prevail in 4A

FRUIT HEIGHTS — The 4A girls golf state championship at Davis Park Golf Course on Wednesday looked like it was headed for a playoff until late in the afternoon when Dixie's Nicole Thomas walked up the 18th fairway needing only a bogey for the win.

But Thomas wasn't thinking bogey and hoisted a shot to within 20 feet of the pin and ended up with a two-foot gimme for a par and 85 points to win.

No, the Stableford scoring system does not allow gimme putts, but the system that allows the golfer to pick up the ball after a four-over-par score provided a competitive event. The top of the leaderboard was crowded with two ties for second place at 83 points and four ties for third place at 80 points.

Thomas was the smallest of the 10 players honored in the post-game ceremony, but her game wasn't. On the first hole, she blasted straight down the middle over 200 yards.

"That gave me confidence," Thomas said.

Her second shot landed on the green some 30 feet from the pin, and when she sank that putt for a birdie, she was brimming with confidence.

Aubry Coop, from rival high school Snow Canyon, and a top 10 finisher with 78 points, said she plays with Thomas almost weekly.

"She is very consistent," Coop said, "and she doesn't let anything bother her."

Thomas' father, Jerry, said that Nicole, a sophomore, was "extremely strong mentally."

"She hit the ball off the tees and fairways as good as she has ever done," he said.

Thomas doesn't get her power from her smallish arms.

"I play soccer and my legs are strong and my waist," Thomas said of where she gets her power.

Thomas' quiet nature prompted a question to her father about her demeanor at home.

"She's a little bit feisty around the home," he said, "but you couldn't ask for a better kid. She's a 4.0 student, too."

Ogden's Courtney Smith and Timpanogos' Monica Yeates tied for second place. Smith led a high scoring group from Ogden who amassed 232 points to take the team first-place trophy. Spanish Fork and Sky View tied for second place with 209 points.

Smith, a senior, has been a major player on the high school golf scene for several years.

4A Girls Golf High School State Championship

Davis Park Golf Course