McDonald County senior Lily Allman closed out her career with a third-place finish, while Carthage junior Hailey Bryant finished eighth overall to give the area a pair of all-state performers in the Missouri Class 3 girls state golf tournament at Twin Hills Golf and Country Club on Tuesday.
Smith-Cotton’s Kiser Pannier won the individual championship with an 84-75—159, while Rockwood Summit’s Katherine Schreiner took second with an 82-79—161. Rockwood Summit (340-335—675) won the team title by more than 40 strokes over St. Teresa’s Academy (364-352—716).
ALLMAN’S FINAL RUN AT STATE WITH THE MUSTANGS
After starting her career on the McDonald County boys golf team as a freshman, Allman was the leading force in getting a girls team started for the Mustangs by her sophomore season, when she qualified for the state tournament for the first time. Following a finish of 31st a year ago as a junior, Allman’s early-season aspirations for an all-state finish were easily surpassed after posting a 38-44 in the second round on the way to an 81-82—163 to finish in a three-way tie for third place with Rockwood Summit’s Danika Stilwell (85-78—163) and Ladue’s Grace Claney (80-83—163).
“All-state was my goal, and I definitely did that,” Allman said with a smile. “After the standings yesterday, I knew it was possible to win a state title. Obviously, that is not how God planned it to be, that’s how I see it, and I know He has bigger plans. That is what is most important. I did what I could, and I did my best.
“It meant a lot to be a part of this (McDonald County girls golf) team. To be able to be on the first team and to help grow the team means a lot. Hopefully, we can get more girls interested, keep playing and then maybe someday I’ll be back to coach the team. … It’s been really fun and I am just happy to be a part of it.”
Allman entered the final round in third place after carding a 42-39—81 on Monday, opening with a birdie on the par-4 first hole. She followed up with a double-bogey on the second hole and a bogey on the third for an uneven two-over start after three holes of the second round.
“I birdied the first hole, and that really gave me some confidence,” Allman said. “Then, I double-bogeyed the second, so I was not consistent. … My putting stroke was good on the first hole, and then I felt like it wasn’t as strong on the next couple of holes. I kind of got down on myself, but my coach (Darryl Harbaugh) just told me to be patient and my stroke would come.”
Allman, who played at the top of the leaderboard for a long stretch of holes, found her consistency and strung four pars together before writing down a birdie two on the par-3 eighth hole. She finished the front nine with a bogey to sit at two over par.
“I got confident after making those few pars, and then you kind of get a fire inside you when you make birdie,” Allman said. “You think, ‘this is possible,’ and I knew I could do it. … Every hole wasn’t exactly what I wanted to be, but that’s golf. … I was very proud of the way I played that front nine.”
Allman had three pars separated by a double-bogey and a bogey before a double-bogey on 15 and a triple on 16 after playing out of trees off the tee following wayward tee shots.
She bounced back strong, with pars on 17 and 18 to finish out her high school career with the Mustangs.
“I told myself these are my last two holes of high school golf,” Allman said. “I just wanted to try to relax and have fun because you don’t want to put too much pressure on yourself. At that point, my coach told me he was really proud of me no matter what happened. That made me relax to go out there and finish well.”
“I was honestly just blessed to be in that moment,” Allman said about walking down the 18th fairway. “Not very many people get to do that. I just took it for what it was worth, and I was proud of how it was going at that point.”
BRYANT FINISHES INSIDE THE TOP 10
As a junior, Bryant has had plenty of experience already at the state tournament with appearances in both her freshman and sophomore seasons. After carding an 87 on the first day to finish in a tie for 10th — a result she was not satisfied with — Bryant drew on that past experience to close with a stronger second-day performance of 37-45—82 to earn an all-state eighth-place finish.
“I was a little bit more relaxed today than yesterday,” Bryant said. “Yesterday it was ‘Oh, it’s the first day of state.’ Today, it was go-time and I needed to get where I wanted to be. I did a lot more of what I knew I could do.”
“It helped to relax me a little bit, honestly,” Bryant continued on how her experiences at the state level helped her on Tuesday. “I just kind of knew everyone was in the same boat as me. I wasn’t alone struggling like I used to think I was.”
Bryant started her front nine with a birdie three on the first hole, giving her all the confidence she needed. She followed with a bogey and a double-bogey before a par on the fourth hole led to a fantastic finish to the turn. Bryant dropped a stroke with a birdie two on the fifth hole to get to one over, and finished her front nine with four straight pars.
“Yesterday, I double-bogeyed the first hole,” Bryant said with a laugh. “Today, after the birdie, I was a little excited. … I had some holes that were a little rocky, but after the way I finished out, I just kept saying today is the day. I was playing like I knew I could.
“My putting today was a lot better than it was yesterday. I really saved myself on some of those pars that I needed when I had to get up and down. My ball striking was just very flush. It was going where I wanted it to, following the line I wanted it to and covering back.”
Bryant continued her state tournament with a par on the 10th before going eight over par over the next five holes. She closed out her third state tournament with a par on 16, a bogey on 17 and a par on 18.
“That felt great,” Bryant said with a smile when asked about her top-10 finish. “That was one of my goals, to keep moving up. My freshman year, I started real far behind. Last year, I was right in the middle, and this year, a top 10. I am really proud of myself for accomplishing that.”
While she was still soaking in her best finish yet at the state level, Bryant was already thinking about how she was going to use this performance to prepare for another state run as a senior in 2021.
“I love this tournament,” Bryant said. “Since I was a freshman, I have wanted to come to this tournament every single year. That was my goal. I am three quarters of the way there, so it’s a big deal to me.
“I am not ready for this season to end. I am ready to keep going and just keep working at it because I want to get up to one of those top spots next year. It really is just going to push me.”
OTHER AREA CLASS 3 SCORES
Carthage’s Riley Scott carded a 52-47—99 to follow up her 92 in the opening round to finish in a tie for 34th with a score of 191.
Carthage’s Caitlin Derryberry shot a 50-51—101 in the second round and finished with a 115-101—216 to finish in 59th.
Webb City’s Sydney French had a second-round 53-52—105 to finish with a 217 two-day total, placing in a tie for 60th.
Also for the Cardinals, Sarah Oathout scored a 59-54—113 and finished with a 249 tournament to finish in 70th.
CLASS 2 STATE TOURNAMENT
CLINTON, Mo. — Playing the final round at Meadow Lake Acres Country Club, Cassville’s Chloe Moller followed up her 122 with a 61-52—113 to finish 68th with a 235.
Carl Junction’s Rylee Sprague opened her final round with a birdie on the way to shooting a 57-63—120 to finish in 69th with a 238.
Nevada’s Kate Pennington (62-61—123) scored a 241 to finish in 70th, while Riley Severance (66-56—122) totaled a 254 to place 71st.
Carl Junction’s Anna Burch (66-64—13) totaled a 264 to place in a tie for 74th with Nevada’s Paige Hertzberg (67-66—13) to round out the local scoring.
