Third time proved to be a charm for Kentridge High golf star Lauren Sewell.
After settling twice this season for second-best to Kentwood standout Rui Li, Sewell got a little redemption last week at the district tournament, which was held on the Cascade Course at Gold Mountain in Bremerton.
The sweet-swinging junior delivered her finest performance of the fall, carding a two-day total of 143 (73 on the first day, 70 on the second).
That was enough to edge Li by three strokes for the title.
“(Lauren) had her number today,” Kentridge coach Charlie Mitchell said.
It was all a matter of concentration, Sewell conceded.
“I was just kind of in a zone,” said the low-key, mild-mannered Sewell. “I was trying to concentrate on my game, and that was about it.”
Sewell certainly did just that. Her final total, which included seven birdies, is the lowest in the last 15 years of South Puget Sound League play.
It won’t be officially known until April how many golfers from the district tournament advance to state. On average, the top 18 advance to the tournament, which will be played on May 27-28 at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.
Sewell and Li, two state veterans with berths well in hand, will head into the tournament among the favorites. Sewell finished tied for seventh last year.
And while Sewell took top individual honors, the Li-led Conquerors brought home the top team honor, finishing with 537 strokes, 50 strokes ahead of second-place Puyallup.
Li received considerable additional help, particularly from Erika Vossbeck, who took seventh with a 166 (82-84). Kentwood’s Chelsea Brossard also delivered, bringing home 14th place with a 182 (92-90).
Amanda Fairweather was the lone Tahoma golfer to advance, shooting a 167 (87-80 in punching her state ticket. Meanwhile, Kentlake duo Kelli Wyatt and Lindsey Douglas finished 11th and 15th respectively. Wyatt carded a 179 (86-93) while Douglas delivered a 183 (93-90). Douglas finished in a tie for 15th with Kentridge’s Leah Hollingsworth, who earned a state berth with an identical 183 (92-91).
Hagen, Conks come up big
Kent Hagen knew he left a few shots on the golf course.
But it hardly slowed the Kentwood High golfer or his teammates in the district tournament, held at Gold Mountain in Bremerton on Oct. 22-23.
Hagen, a junior, delivered a two-day total of 145 (74 on the first day and 71 on the second), taking second overall and helping the Conquerors win their second straight district title.
The frustrating part for Hagen, however, came at the end. He completed the two-day tournament deadlocked for medalist honors with Chris Olmstead of Rogers, forcing a tiebreaker.
Both collected pars on the first hole, thus making a second hole necessary. That’s where Olmstead outperformed Hagen by one stroke.
“I was confident I was going to come back and win it,” Hagen said. “I knew I left a few shots out there. It’s frustrating to know I could have made one more putt to win it.”
Hagen’s performance, however, helped the Conquerors finish with a team total of 475 strokes, just ahead of Thomas Jefferson (477) and Beamer (479).
The top 18 golfers from the two-day tournament likely will earn berths to state, which will be played next May 27-28 at Canyon Lakes Golf Course in Kennewick. The official total won’t be known until April because many schools only offer the sport in spring, rather than split it as it is in the western portion of the state.
Hagen along with teammates Thomas Zavada, Riley Kuranishi and Tyler Clavin, however, are certain of making the trip.
Of note, however, was Clavin, who finished the second round in a four-way tie for 18th overall, the final state spot. Clavin birdied the second sudden-death playoff hole, sinking a 10-foot putt, to clinch the berth.
“The beauty of it was, (Tyler) came in so dejected after he finished because he had putted so poorly. He was very upset with himself for not making putts down the stretch,” Kentwood coach Kevin Hagen said. “The putt on the second playoff hole was absolute redemption.”
Kent Hagen and Kentridge’s Sean McMullen were named the SPSL North’s Golfers of the Year.
McMullen carded a 149 (74-75) and finished in a tie for third place.
Tahoma’s C.J. Munko was the only other male golfer to clinch a state berth, carding a two-day total of 159 (77-82) and finishing in 10th place.
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