Before Alivia Brown stepped forward to accept the Class 4A girls golf state tournament individual championship, the Bellarmine Prep sophomore found herself in another spot she’d never been – a playoff.
Brown won on the second hole with a birdie on the par-5, 537-yard hole, sinking a 10-foot putt to win Wednesday at MeadowWood Golf Course in Liberty Lake.
“When you win the 4A state championship,” Lions coach Mark Bender said, “that’s a pretty good day of golf. She played solid all day.”
Brown also helped Bellarmine Prep win its third consecutive team title. With six golfers in the finals, the Lions totaled 172 points. Lewis and Clark placed second with 121.5 points.
In the playoff, Brown edged teammate Jordan Ferreira, a Notre Dame commit, and Central Kitsap’s Katie Lee. All three finished with 36-hole totals of 144.
Brown could have won the tournament without a playoff, but she bogeyed the 378-yard No. 18.
“My second shot felt like it was solid,” Brown said, “but it was long.”
It wasn’t until Brown tallied her scorecard that she realized she was headed for a playoff.
“I’d never been in a playoff before, but it was fun,” she said. “Being with Katie was awesome and being with Jordan was awesome.”
Brown shot back-to-back rounds of 72, finishing with a two-day total of 144.
Ferreira, who carded a 71 in the final round, and Lee, who shot 72, tied for second. Kentwood’s Catherina Li was fourth at 147 after carding a 71 on Wednesday.
The Lions’ other finishers were Olivia Benzin (tied 12th), Gracie Dyer (tied 14th), Maddie Schulz (tied 17th) and Lindsay Gullickson (tied 36th).
Bender said the Lions knew a third consecutive team title was within the team’s grasp when the final round began.
“I told them to go low and not take anything for granted,” Bender said. “That’s what they did.”
CLASS 4A BOYS
Jackson High’s Kyle Cornett maintained the two-stroke lead from the first round, winning the state title with a two-day total of 145.
After seeing no golfers break par in the first round, Cornett and Eastlake’s Li Wang each shot 71 Wednesday. Wang placed second at 147.
Bellarmine Prep’s Chris Tedesco was the highest-placing local, tying for sixth after shooting 73 and finishing with 153 strokes.
Kamiak placed three golfers among the top 11 finishers and edged Bellarmine Prep for the team title, 92-88.
Defending state champion Dominick Francks of Olympia shot 81 in the final round and tied for 23rd.
CLASS 3A BOYS
Juanita’s Frank Garber shot a blistering 65 in the final round at Indian Canyon in Spokane and won the tournament by nine strokes with a 36-hole total of 135.
Garber shot 70 in the first round and quickly shot past first-day leaders Chris Babcock of Shorewood and David Fonua of O’Dea. Babock and Fonua carded rounds of 75 and 76, respectively, on Wednesday. Babcock placed second with 144 strokes.
Enumclaw’s Tyler Salsbury was the top local finisher, tying for sixth with 147 strokes after shooting 75 in the final round.
Southridge edged Mount Spokane for the team title, 96-94.
CLASS 3A GIRLS
Mount Spokane sophomore Sierra Bezdicek beat sister Savana in a playoff and won the individual state title at Esmeralda Golf Course in Spokane.
The sisters finished the 36-hole tournament tied at 146. Sierra, who carded a 72 on Wednesday, shot par on the first playoff hole and Savana bogeyed.
Defending champion Rachel Lewis of Peninsula entered the final round in a three-way tie for first with Sammie Pless of Holy Names Academy and Decatur’s Amanda Beyke.
Pless placed third after shooting 74, one stroke off the lead. Lewis carded a 76 and placed fifth. Beyke shot 77 and claimed sixth.
Hanford won the team crown with 121.5 points. blog.thenewstribune.com/preps
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