High school girls golf: Depth carries Woods Cross to repeat 5A title; Lone Peak wins 5th in a row

RIVERTON — Woods Cross’ girls golf team placed two golfers in the top-five, and the top-10 of Tuesday’s 5A state meet.

But the Wildcats’ depth went well beyond even that to clinch the program’s second-straight Utah High School Activities Association state title, and second overall.

Tess Poulsen fired a two-day total of 1-under-par 143 to tie for second, Vivian Oaks added 6-over 150 for fifth, and the Wildcats pulled past Skyline by 10 strokes at Riverbend Golf Course.

Mackenzie  Pearson added a top-10 finish for the Wildcats, and Rachel Wright was tied for 18th overall with her perhaps best round of the year.

“Our 1-3 all year long were consistent, and they were the ones that would show up and give us the scoring,” Woods Cross coach Brandon Pearson said. “But Rachel Wright played her best two rounds of the season here at state.

“Big credit to her for being able to step up and do for us what we absolutely needed at the right time.”

Skyline freshman Anushka Rajeev finished sixth to lead the runner-up Eagles, held off Brighton by six strokes. Bonneville and Box Elder rounded out the top five.

Poulson was in contention for medalist honors across the final round, and had a one-stroke lead with back-to-back birdies on the par-4 16th and par-3 17th holes. But the junior bogeyed the 18th hole moments after Brighton’s Claire Olafsson birdied the same 411-yard par-5 to win her first individual title.

The sophomore was up and down en route to 1-under 35 on the front nine, then opened the back with a double bogey on the par-5, 465-yard 11th hole.

 

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But Olafsson rallied with a birdie on No. 14 before clinching her one-stroke win with 7 iron from 170 yards for an easy two-putt on the 18th green.

“I was just able to forget what happened in the past, forget my four-putt (on No. 11), and focus on my next shot,” said Olafsson, who carded five birdies in the final round.

“I was just trying to swing my swing and do what I knew was right. I knew I didn’t have to make my eagle putt, and just two-putted that one in.”

Poulsen was one stroke back of the lead after 18 holes, and fired four birdies in the final round after carding a tournament-best six Monday to lead her team to a second-straight championship after finishing third behind Region 6 champion Skyline and Brighton.

That, Poulsen said, eliminated any remaining pressure that the Wildcats might have felt to repeat.

“Everyone just expected  Skyline to win,” she said. “Even with a lot of losses, the first day we started believing in ourselves — and I’m glad we could finish it out.”

• 5A girls golf state tournament leaderboard

• Top 10 teams
  • Woods Cross — 631
  • Skyline — 641
  • Brighton — 647
  • Bonneville — 654
  • Box Elder — 712
  • Springville — 716
  • Wasatch — 727
  • Maple Mountain — 732
  • West Field — 738
  • Cyprus — 773
• Top 10 individuals
  • Claire Olafsson, Brighton — 142
  • Catherine Cook, Brighton; Tess Poulsen, Woods Cross — 143
  • Whitni Johnson, Bonneville — 146
  • Vivian Oaks, Woods Cross — 150
  • Anushka Rajeev, Skyline — 151
  • Navy Hubbs, Salem Hills — 152
  • Tristyn Green, Skyline — 155
  • Cambria Ohlson, Bountiful — 160
  • Makenzie Pearson, Woods Cross; India Colarusso, Skyline — 165

6A championship: Wagner caps Lone Peak career with Knights’ 5th title

Utah Valley commit Saydie Wagner capped her stellar high school career with a two-day total of 8-over 150 to help Lone Peak cruise to its fifth consecutive 6A championship by 14 strokes at Davis Park Golf Course in Kaysville.

Morgan Thomas shot 76-78 to tie for seventh, and Kate Stucki and Mikaila Lieu added a pair of top-15 finishes for the Knights en route to their eighth title overall.

Herriman’s Paige Anae finished at 5-under 137 to earn medalist honors, teammate Natalie McLane shot even-par 142 to tie for second.

Bingham’s Stratton Durrant matched Anae’s 3-under 68 in the final round to tie for second as the trio all broke par in Tuesday’s finale.

The Miners finished second at plus-67, while Herriman and Farmington finished four strokes back in a tie for third.

• 6A girls golf state tournament leaderboard

• Top 10 teams
  • Lone Peak — 621
  • Bingham — 635
  • Herriman; Farmington — 639
  • Corner Canyon — 663
  • Copper Hills — 693
  • Mountain Ridge — 704
  • Skyridge — 705
  • Syracuse — 706
  • American Fork — 710
• Top 10 individuals
  • Paige Anae, Herriman — 137
  • Stratton Durrant, Bingham; Natalie McLane, Herriman — 142
  • Kai Post, Syracuse — 148
  • Aspen Taylor, Farmington — 149
  • Saydie Wagner, Lone Peak — 150
  • Taylor Weingarten, Copper Hills; Claire Biddulph, Farmington; Morgan Thomas, Lone Peak — 154
  • Megan Matsuura, Corner Canyon — 156