Photo by Josh Hughes Parkersburg’s Molly McLean surveys yardage during a match at the Parkersburg Country Club last month. McLean enters as the defending girls’ state champion.

ELIZABETH — The fourth annual WVSSAC Girls State Golf Championship gets underway at noon today on the par-72 layout of Mingo Bottom Golf Club.

The past two champions of the event, Cabell Midland’s Taylor Sargent and Parkersburg High’s Molly McLean, will be in the opening noon threesome along with Westside’s Kerri-Anne Cook.

McLean finished with a three-over par 75 at the event in 2020, which was just good enough to nip Cook by a single stroke.

Nine minutes after the first group, Roane County’s Emerson Simons will join Hurricane’s Savannah Hawkins and Berkeley Springs’ Sara Veara on the first tee box. Hawkins carded an 81 last year to take third all alone. Veara joined Sargent with respective rounds of 82, which was good for a fourth-place tie in 2020.

“They are playing well,” said PHS Big Red first-year head coach Vince Guice of McLean along with fellow Big Reds Brielle Mihoan and Anna Earl. “They are all in good shape going into Tuesday.

“I feel pretty confident. Obviously, it would be great to finish one, two, three, but obviously there are other girls around the state. They are definitely looking forward to it and Molly is looking to repeat, for sure. It’s going to be fun to watch.”

Mihoan will be in the third grouping, set to go off the par-4, first at 12:18 p.m., along with Bridgeport’s Marra Johnson and Spring Mills’ Angelina Duriez.

Earl is slated to play alongside University’s Aubrey Estel and Morgantown’s Makenna Darr. They get underway at 12:27 p.m.

“I’m so excited. I think we are all going to play really well,” said McLean, who was bested by three strokes on the front nine last week at Greenhills in Ravenswood by Milhoan. “My goal is for us to all finish top 10 or top eight and I think we can do that together as a team.

“I think it’s (Brielle playing good golf) awesome because honestly I don’t care what position I’m in, the lower the scores the better. If she’s shooting in the low 70s or 30s consistently, I’m happy.”

Becoming the first back-to-back champion is also something which would please McLean, but she knows golf is a tough game and just about anything can happen during a round.

“I’m not exactly where I want it to be, but I think I’ll be in good shape on Tuesday,” McLean said of her game. “My putting is the only thing really bothering me right now. I can deal with everything else. If I can get my putting under control I’ll be content.

“I’m so excited. I think the closer the competition the more fun it is, the more adrenaline there is, and that’s fun for me. The big adrenaline rush and just being able to really compete with the other girls.”

Also competing from Wood County are Parkersburg South’s Olivia Foley and Lauren Cline along with Williamstown’s Maggie Siley.

Calhoun County’s Ella Hess and Josie Montgomery were scratched from the field due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

Ripley will be represented by Madison Stellato, Jazmin Parsons, Avery Fife, Ashlyn Donohew and Kaylei Blackburn.

Other area golfers teeing it up today are St. Marys’ McKenzie Armstrong, Ritchie County teammates Ada Chen and Sophia Layman along with Wahama teammates Mattie Ohlinger and Jilliam Love.

Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com