High school golf: Rowland Hall wins girls 2A championship

MOAB — The Rowland Hall girls golf team won the state 2A championship Tuesday on a course none of its players had ever played before — the Moab Golf Club.

The Winged Lion foursome's complete unfamiliarity with the course didn't stop them from edging past the Grand Red Devils, who play the course nearly every day.

Rowland Hall ended up with 187 points under the modified Stableford scoring system, which awards points on a per-hole basis (only the three best scores counted toward the team total). Runner-up Grand finished two points behind at 185, while Beaver was a close third place with 184 points.

The Winged Lion team was led by junior Stephanie Schott, who shot a tournament-best 85 strokes over 18 holes giving her a modified Stableford score of 77 points. Fellow junior Kyleene Johnson shot a 101 with 61 points, while sophomore Kaitlin Ramsey — in her first year of competitive golf — shot 113 and scored 49 points. Rounding out the foursome, junior Sara Mann shot 116 and scored 46 points. The team's only senior, Serra Lakomski didn't play due to injury, but was there to cheer her teammates on to victory and share in the excitement of winning the state title and hoisting the trophy.

It was a remarkable accomplishment for a program that started four years ago, and first had a full team just last year.

"We finished 11th of 12 teams last year,"? said Rowland Hall coach J.Z. Davis. "They did amazing. These are the best scores they've shot — ever.

"They just kept getting better as the season went on, and to end it here, on what I think is one of the hardest courses in Utah. But they had no fear. No fear."

Grand sophomore Jessica Pyatt's average scores this season have been in the mid-80s, but she shot an uncharacteristically high 97, giving her 65 points.

"It wasn't even remotely my day," said Pyatt, who incurred a one-stroke penalty on the last hole for a ball-movement error. Senior teammate Mariah Richardson paced Grand by shooting a 96 and earning 66 points.

"It was a good performance," said Moab Golf Club pro Rob Jones, who serves as Grand's assistant coach. "Maybe next year."

Girls 1A/2A Championship

Team scores (modified Stableford)

1. Rowland Hall, 187; 2. Grand, 185; 3. Beaver, 184; 4. St. Joseph, 161; 5. South Summit, 150; 6. Christian Heritage, 127; 7. Panguitch, 131; 8. Monticello, 104; 9. Layton Christian, 92; 10. Waterford, 86; 11. Rich, 60.

Individual scores (modified Stableford, 18 holes)

1. Stephanie Schott, Rowland Hall, 77; 2. Celest Chavez, Beaver, 70; 3. Breanne Bateman, Panguitch, 69; 4. Lexi Moss, Beaver, 68; 5-7. (three-way tie) Mariah Richardson, Grand, 66; Emilie Volk, Christian Heritage, 66; Greta Schneider, St. Joseph, 66; 8. Jessica Pyatt, Grand, 65; 9. Teresa Chamberlain, South Summit, 64; 10. Sydnee Gomez, Intermountain Christian, 63.