KINGFISHER — Weatherford girls golf qualified for the Class 4A State tournament after finishing second at regionals Tuesday at Kingfisher.
“I am really excited to be going back and so proud of the girls and how they played,” coach Kyle Mickley said. “We knew it was going to be a really tough regional, because the other teams in it were very similar to us, but the girls handled it extremely well. We have talked, from the beginning of the season, about trying to be playing our best golf at the end of April and early May. I think as a team, we’re doing that.”
Perkins-Tryon finished first by one shot, scoring a team total 360, compared to Weatherford’s 361.
The other two teams to qualify for the state tournament were Tuttle and Cushing.
Chloe Cummins shot an 82, which included an eagle. This round was her best round of the season.
“We had planned out how we were going to play certain holes and Chloe was able to execute that on No. 11 which was a short par 4,” Mickley said. She hit driver where a lot of other girls did not, and was able to get it on the green to within about 10 feet of the cup. She made a great read and made the putt.”
Rachel Carruth shot an 85. Mickley said her round was solid.
“Rachel played the par 5 No. 14 hole just like we had talked about,” Mickley said. “She took two really good swings with the driver and a hybrid to the back of the green. She made a good read and hit a good putt which just lipped out.”
Mickley said Carruth and Cummins are playing really consistent golf right now and they have been able to avoid major mistakes which can kill a round.
The other three golfers also had solid rounds for Weatherford. McKinley Elwick shot a 91, Maddy Hada shot a 103 and Addison Elwick shot a 109.
“McKinley played a really solid round again,” Mickley said. “She hits it so consistently and she very rarely has any blow-up holes. Maddy and Addison had some stretches of good golf. As long as one of them is in the neighborhood of 100 we can post some really good scores.”
Weatherford qualified for the state tournament at Buffalo Rock Golf Course in Cushing, Wednesday and Thursday.
“Buffalo Rock is a tough course,” Mickley said. “The good thing is we have quite a bit of experience on it as almost all of the girls have played four rounds there during the past two years. Hopefully this pays off for us and we can go play relaxed but confident golf, but most importantly, just go have fun. It obviously is going to be the toughest field of teams which we have seen this year. We are capable of finishing in the Top 3-5 with the possibility of challenging for the championship if we really play well. However, it definitely is going to be a challenge. Every team there will be good so we will have to be prepared.”
To prepare for the state tournament, Mickley said it will take work on the driving range and planning.
“We will spend lots of time practicing the different kinds of shots we will need to get around Buffalo rock effectively,” Mickley said. “We will specifically try to simulate some of the par three tee shots on the range so we have got a plan for each of those before we get there. We will get a plan together for how to play certain holes which are a little bit unusual so we have the best chance to be successful. It is going to be fun.”