High school girls golf: There’s a new Queen in town
Published 12:00 am Thursday, September 21, 2023
South Rowan's Ava Blume putting. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
South Rowan's Ava Blume driving. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
South Rowan's Ava Blume driving. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
West Rowan's Sarah Waller missing a putt. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
South Rowan's Ra'Ella Smokstad making a putt. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
Salisbury's Lucy Heilig chipping to the 9th green. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
South Rowan's Ra'Ella Smokstad getting her ball out of a ditch on 9th green. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
West Rowan's Sarah Waller driving. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
South Rowan's Ra'Ella Smokstad driving. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
Carson's Ava Catlett driving.. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
Salisbury's Lola Koontz driving. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
East Rowan's Izzy Stepp driving. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
East Rowan's Izzy Stepp putting. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
South Rowan's Ella Carden driving . . photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
Salisbury's Xaniyah Price driving. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
South Rowan's Sara Culbert driving . . photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
South Rowan's Ella Cardem putting. . photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
South Rowan's Sara Culbert putting. . photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
East Rowan's Kaley Pfster putting. . photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
East Rowan's Kaley Pfster using an iron. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
Salisbury's Xaniyah Price driving. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
South Rowan's Sara Culbert driving . . photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
South Rowan's Ella Carden driving from 9th tee. . photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
East Rowan's Addison Queen driving. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
South Rowan's Kassidy Sechler driving. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
East Rowan's Hannah Waddell reacting to a missed putt... photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
South Rowan's Kassidy Sechler putting on the 8th green trying to slow her putt. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
South Rowan's Kassidy Sechler driving on number 9. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
South Rowan's Kassidy Sechler makng a putt with East Rowan's Addison Queen watching.. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
South Rowan's Kassidy Sechler driving on the number 2 tee.. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
East Rowan's Hannah Waddell driving on the number 2 tee.. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
South Rowan's Kassidy Sechler leaning to help her putt turn. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
East Rowan's Addison Queen using an iron.. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
South Rowan's Kassidy Sechler putting. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
South Rowan's Kassidy Sechler driving on number 9 but not happy with the results. photo by Wayne Hinshaw,for the Salisbury Post
East Rowan's Jaelyn Earnhart driving. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
South Rowan's Kassidy Sechler driving on the number 2 tee.. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
East Rowan's Jaelyn Earnhart celebrating making a putt on 8th green. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
East Rowan's Jaelyn Earnhart celebrating making a putt on 8th green. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post .
East Rowan Addison Queen driving. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
East Rowan's Addison Queen making a putt green 3 with South Rowan Kassidy Sechler on the right.. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
East Rowan's Hannah Waddell driving on the 9th tee.. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
East Rowan's Hannah Waddell driving from the fairway.. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
East Rowan's Hannah Waddell putting.. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
East Rowan's Hannah Waddell driving on the 9th tee.. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
East Rowan's Hannah Waddell putting on the 4h greenn with South Rowan Kassidy Sechler on the left.. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
East Rowan's Addison Queen sinking a putt. photo by Wayne Hinshaw for the Salisbury Post
East Rowan Addison Queen driving on the number 2 tee.. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
East Rowan Addison Queen driving on the number 2 tee.. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, for the Salisbury Post
By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — East Rowan senior golfers Addison Queen and Hannah Waddell staged quite a battle for the individual county championship on Monday.
No matter who prevailed, their head-to-head duel at Corbin Hills assured the Mustangs of winning their seventh straight team title.
“It really was a battle, with both trying so hard to win,” said pleased East coach Tinsley Merrell. “I was able to watch them the last six holes, and it was give and take, back and forth. I had no idea who was ahead, had no idea what their scores were, but I knew they were very close. I was cheering for both. I was just glad we’ve got both of them on our team. I’m very proud of both of them.”
Waddell, a three-time Rowan County Player of the Year, is steady and has usually set the pace for her team and the county, but Queen is often nipping at her heels and sometimes catches up. Queen and Waddell were co-champs of the county tournament last season at McCanless.
This time Queen came out ahead. Queen shot 79, while Waddell carded an 80.
“One stroke, and that’s something I’ve been preaching to Addison — how important every shot in a round is,” Merrell said. “One stroke can mean everything. Addison missed going to states last year by one stroke. But now she’s a county champion by one stroke. She found her zone today and she stayed in it. She’s not always the calmest, but today she was very calm and very cool.”
A key swing in the round came on No. 15 where Queen birdied and gained two shots.
Queen bogeyed 18, while Waddell parred, but Queen held on by the slimmest of margins.
Weather conditions for the event were ideal, a far cry from the dreary gloom and drizzle that greeted raincoat-clad girls last fall. The 91s Waddell and Queen shot in soggy conditions in 2022 were good enough to lead the field, but this time scores were better. Last year a bogey was a solid hole. There were a lot more pars this time.
East’s third scorer, sophomore Kaley Pfister, shot 90 and placed fourth. East won by 28 strokes.
South Rowan senior Kassidy Sechler shot 85 while playing in a fast-moving threesome with Waddell and Queen. She took third place and led the Raiders to a runner-up finish.
Merrell witnessed an awesome chip shot by Sechler down the stretch that may have been the best shot of the day.
Sechler is the girl who needed heart surgery two years ago after collapsing during a softball game, so every swing she takes is a win for a lot of people who care about her.
“Kassidy hit a tree on the first hole and had a max score on that hole (triple bogey), but she bounced back nicely,” South coach Jeremy Boice said. “I’m just happy she’s feeling healthy enough to play, and it was a good day for us overall.”
Also finishing in the top eight and recognized as all-county were East sophomore Jaelyn Earnhardt (94), South senior Ella Carden (94), East sophomore Izzy Stepp (95) and South junior Ava Blume (98).
“That was my biggest goal for our team — for all five girls to break 100,” Merrell said. “They accomplished that.”
East’s winning score of 249 was the best in the event since 2014 when Grace Yatawara’s 71 at Corbin Hills led Salisbury to a team score of 242.
The last time East’s team didn’t win the tournament was in 2016 when Micah Furr’s 81 led Carson to victory at the Country Club of Salisbury.
South and East have qualified as teams for the 3A West Regional that will take place on Oct. 24 at Springdale Resort in Canton.
Both teams have a lot of South Piedmont Conference matches to play before that. Both are chasing Lake Norman Charter in the SPC, with Waddell leading the Mustangs in most of their nine-hole matches so far, but with Queen usually right behind her.
But Monday was Queen’s day. She celebrated as calmly as she played, not with a trip to Disney World, but with a trip to Bojangle’s.
“Addison shooting 79 and winning the county should really motivate her and give her a lot of confidence going forward,” Merrell said. “As far as Hannah, finishing second is going to fuel her fire. They’ll continue to compete and push each other and that will make our team better.”
Scores
East (249) — Addison Queen 79, Hannah Waddell 80, Kaley Pfister 90, Jaelyn Earnhardt 94, Izzy Stepp 95
South (277) — Kassidy Sechler 85. Ella Carden 94, Ava Blume 98, Sara Culbert 104, RaElla Smokstad 104, Aiden Shepherd 105
Carson (333) — Ava Catlett 101, Renna Davis-Linn 112, Riley Herge 120, Emma Carpenter 122
Salisbury (341) — Xaniyah Price 105, Lucy Heilig 117, Lola Koontz 119
West — Sarah Waller 117, Marley Rimer 122
North — Nellie Brewer 124
