2021 WVSSAC GIRLS STATE INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: Four-time all-state golfer
Big Reds’ McLean makes history in Wirt
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ELIZABETH -- A day of high stakes drama that came down to the final hole punctuated the 2021 WVSSAC Girls State Invitational Championship on Tuesday from Elizabeth's Mingo Bottom Golf Club.
Parkersburg's Molly McLean entered the day as the defending champion, and she faced stiff competition from the previous year's winner, Cabell Midland's Taylor Sargent.
The two battled on the front nine only separated by a single stroke (Sargent's 39 to McLean's 40), and they kept pace with each other on the back nine holes.
Identical 34s from Sargent and McLean gave the CMHS golfer a 73 and a one-stroke victory.
Although McLean two-putted on the final green, she shot lights out on the back nine. The senior said her play on the final holes helped, as she reflected on the championship round.
"I played really well on the back nine, "McLean said after her group went a combined 5-under throughout the last nine holes. "I had quite a few birdies, and I was very happy with that. I was making a lot of putts, and it's close to my low round for nine holes. I was so excited, but I was also kind of sad, because it's my last one. I was hoping all us Parkersburg girls would do well, which we did. I'm just excited, overall."
McLean also said she was not aware of how close the score was, and she only found out about the final scores once her round ended. The same can be said for Cabell's Sargent, who takes home her second girls' state crown in three years.
Despite not knowing how close it was, Sargent was calm and collected down the stretch.
"I just tried to stay calm out there," Sargent sad after struggling at times on the front nine. "I had a little trouble on No. 9, but then, I went birdie-birdie (on 10 and 11) after that. The back nine was way better for me, score-wise. I was also more confident. I had no idea we were that close, so I just tried to calm down, and play my game."
The 74 from McLean was more than enough to punch her ticket to the All-Tournament team for the fourth-consecutive year, and she wasn't the only local golfer to make it in the top eight.
An 80 from Roane County's Emerson Simons and an 82 from McLean's PHS teammate, Brielle Milhoan, got the job done. Simons and Milhoan finished in 7th and 8th, respectively. For her part, Simons will take what she did this year at Mingo Bottom and apply it to next year's tournament, as a senior. In spite of nerves, she delivered on the biggest of stages. She says the opportunity to represent RCHS as an upperclassman was something special.
"I really wanted to finish (toward the top of the leaderboard), and my goal was to shoot in the 70s, but I shot an 80. It's not the worst I could have done, but I could have done better," Simons admitted. "I played a practice round yesterday, and I did ok. I did better on the back than I did today, but I did a lot better on the front today. This morning, I tried to mentally prepare myself, and calm myself down. This does feel really good, since I'm the only girl golfer at Roane. Me and (senior) Cole (Ellis) aren't freshmen, and the rest of our team is full of freshmen, so they're pretty new to this. It feels pretty good."
The rest of the leaderboard was full of razor-thin margins. Hurricane's Savannah Hawkins notched a 3-over 75 for third, while Berkeley Springs' Sara Veara came in fourth with a 76. Rounding out the top five with a 77 was Sargent and McLean's playing partner, Westside's Kerri-Anne Cook.
Other big local movers in the field represented with noteworthy performances. St. Marys' McKenzie Armstrong finished strong with an 88 in 11th, while PHS' Anna Earl kept the beat going for the Big Reds. She recovered on the back nine to shoot a 90, which left her tied for 13th. Also tied for 13th was Ripley's Avery Fife.
Rounding out the local top 20 was Williamstown's sole representative, Maggie Siley. She came in 17th with a 93 on the day, as local golfers were sure to leave their impact.