High school golf: Dixie wins 4A crown; St. Joseph wins 1A/2A title
The state's prep girls golfers made history on Wednesday and did it in dramatic fashion.
And fittingly, the Dixie Flyers were right in the middle of the excitement by walking away with the first 4A Utah high school girls golf championship by surviving a two-hole playoff with the Murray Spartans at Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City. Dixie also won the combined girls classification state tournament that was held last year.
"The boys at Dixie have had a lot of success in state golf, and for the girls to start having that same kind success is pretty exciting for the junior golfers down in St. George," Flyer coach Eron Demming said.
Using a Stableford scoring format, which awards varying points for double eagle through quadruple bogey, both the Flyers and Spartans finished the regulation 18 holes tied with 241 points.
Since the team score is determined by the total of the top three point getters, the playoff was determined by the total of the top three scorers out of four from each team. After both teams totaled the same number of points on the first playoff hole, the Flyers took home the title with two pars and a bogey on the second playoff hole while Murray managed only three bogeys.
In the medalist battle, Dixie's Kelsey Vines outdueled her future BYU teammate Anika Afoa of Murray by shooting a 6-under par 66 and scoring 96 points, to Afoa's 2-under par 70 and 92 points. Kandice Alires from West finished third with 89 points, Morgan Workman of Box Elder took fourth with 87 points and Nicole Thomas of Dixie finished fifth with 84 points.
Vines took control of the individual battle with four birdies on the front side while Afoa turned the corner trailing by five Stableford points. The course played short for the two bombers who drove several par fours and putted for eagle on most of the par fives. And even though Afoa rolled in an eight-foot eagle on the par-5 13th, Vines maintained her margin with three more birdies on the back side.
However, Vines missed short birdie putts on the final three holes, including a five-footer on the par-4 18th that would have won the title for Dixie in regulation.
"I didn't realize that putt would have won it for us, but once I found that out I was pretty mad at myself and would have taken the blame," Vines said.
But in the playoff she added a birdie and a par, while her Dixie teammates — Thomas, Aubry Smith and Kayla Popovich — came through in the clutch. On the first hole the Spartans had a slight advantage when Afoa and Measha Meier drove it off the back fringe on the par-4 10th hole. But only Afoa made birdie, which was matched by Vines when she chipped to within four feet and made the putt.
Recent comments
I would like to see mr. "Blah blah blah" play kelsey vines. Pretty...
Golfer | May 20, 2009 at 6:36 p.m.
Congrats to Milford High for winning the 1-A state championship!!!...
Small town golfer | May 15, 2009 at 8:44 a.m.
What does title XI have to do with golf? Federal Ship Financing...
Golfer Dad | May 14, 2009 at 5:00 p.m.
- Gators beat FSU again 8:35 p.m.
- Virginia Tech routs Virginia 8:33 p.m.
- Utah State football: Aggies beat... 8:32 p.m.
- Today on TV 8:28 p.m.
- Photo: The Gingerbread (Super)Man 8:24 p.m.
- Court may try youth as an adult 8:20 p.m.
- Missing Layton boy found 8:19 p.m.
- Magistrate wants looting trials set 8:18 p.m.
- Ways to help others in need 7:49 p.m.
- Woman delivers grandchild 7:49 p.m.
- Cave to be sealed with body inside
- Predicting the unpredictable: BYU wins
- Vegas, Poinsettia bowls or bust
- Glover gives Utes last-second upset
- BYU football: 5 keys to victory
- Cougars turn back Wildcats'
- Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies
- Running game key to BYU offense
- Woods, wife unavailable for interview
- Idaho woman dies after fall
- Cougars beat Utes, 26-23
195 - Thunder rolls by Jazz
136 - Letters: Rushing to judge Palin
134 - Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies
115 - Cave to be sealed with body inside
114 - Editorial: Poor welcome for Palin
113 - Letters: Trump card for believers
99 - Rivalry Week is highly profane
88 - Hall's legacy measured today
75 - Hate crimes against gays rose 11%
74
It's finally time for the game that everyone has been waiting for all...
Its finally here, the big game. No matter what the circumstances are, it...
"Re: Hall... | 8:26 p.m. Nov. 28, 2009 Hall was pathetic comparing to the...
is that Johnson is the best player on the field for both teams takes a lousy...
BYU - 26...Utah - 23! That was today! Doesn't matter who won last...
We would have won that game if only we could have got like 5 INTs and a...
I don't know if I have ever seen a worse cheap shot than when the UTES Zane...
Hey yoot fans that makes it 3 out of the last 4 BYU has won. Not surprised...
"BYU fans | 8:21 p.m. Nov. 28, 2009 can't talk thrash when your team have...
when is the airport rally to send BYU team to LV bowl?
The final play of the game points out the fine line between "hero" and...
Bringing up the 1984 national title every year when they cannot make the big...
