PONTOON BEACH – A severe thunderstorm that swept through the area Monday didn't dampen the enthusiasm at The Legacy Golf Course for Tuesday's season-opening Madison County Girls Golf Championship.
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Marquette (small schools) and Edwardsville (large schools) emerged as team champions at the event, which was scheduled for 18 holes but reduced to nine as heavy rain and thunder swept into the area late in the day. Several golfers had completed up to 13 holes before the storms hit, but their first nine holes were counted and each team's top four scores were added to reach the final total; golfers began their rounds on several holes throughout the course on a shotgun-start format.
The Explorers had a team score of 51-over par to take the small-school (under 1,000 students) title, with Roxana taking second at 55-over and Civic Memorial taking third at 66-over. The Tigers won the large-school crown with a score of 14-over, with Granite City finishing second at 41-over, Collinsville third at 46-over and Triad fourth at 55-over.
Edwardsville's Kayla Weinacht was the individual medalist with a score of 1-over for her nine holes; CM's Sara Gwilliam took second at 3-over, Edwardsville's Addisyn Zeller, Edwardsville's Samantha Cook and Collinsville's Sidney Bost all tied with 4-over, Edwardsville's Paige Hamel was 5-over, Edwardsville's Kiley Reader, Granite City's Samantha Moerlin and Roxana's Andrea Mecleathin were all 8-over and Triad's Brianna Beardin was 9-over.
“Sara was really strong today,” said Eagle coach Jane Middleton of her small-school medalist. “She's really competitive and was wanting to play more, of course, but there's not a lot you can do about the weather. We also had two girls who were playing in their first 18-hole tournament today and they did well.
“Overall, it was a great way to start the season. Our girls practiced all summer and I think we'll have some really low scores this season.”
“We had an awesome day today,” said Granite City coach Karen Greenwald. “I think we've got the potential for our best-ever girls golf team this year (the Warrior girls' golf program got started in 2009). We've got some girls who really want to play and as long as we keep working hard, we'll have some really good finishes.
“They've put in a lot of work to improve their game and I'm really excited.”
“We were really thrilled that we won,” said Tiger coach Tresa LaBoube. “We took a lot of pride to get the win today and it's a great way to start the season. The girls work hard, are dedicated and encourage and support each other.
“We're glad we did get nine holes in today; the course played good and it was in really good shape. We're just excited to get the season started.”
