The Pine View Panthers won their second straight 4A girls golf state championship Thursday, outdistancing runner-up Desert Hills by 31 strokes.
Led by sophomore Alyssa Butterfus, the Panthers’ top four players finished with a team score of 702 strokes over the two-day, 36-hole event, staged at Sunbrook Golf Club in St. George.
After posting an 88 during the first day’s round, Butterfus shot an 83 on Thursday, the second-best score of the day. Joining her as state medalists were teammates Katelyn Leavitt, Hallie Wieland and Kenzi Owen, all of whom scored below 90 on Thursday. Those top four Panthers ended up in the No. 5 through No. 8 spots on the top 10 individual scorers list.
Dixie senior Annabelle Millard was the state’s top individual medalist in 4A with an overall score of 162, having followed her 80 on Wednesday with an 82 the second day. Cedar High sophomore RaeLee Johnson was a close runner-up behind Millard at 165 strokes. Johnson held a two-stroke lead over Millard after the first 18 holes, having shot a 78 on Wednesday.
Pine View head coach Matt Wieland said gusty winds plagued the golfers on Wednesday, negatively affecting scores.
“Conditions yesterday were brutal,” he said. “I mean, it was really a tough day. If you look back, you’ll see, across the board, scores were great through the first six or seven holes, because the weather was great. And then the weather turned and you saw the difference in scores.”
“But, we fought through it,” he said. “I thought for a time on the back nine that we were going to be playing from behind today, but they pushed through and finished strong.”
Pine View scored 355 the first day, which was 18 strokes better than second-place Desert Hills’ 373. Both teams shot better on Thursday, with Pine View posting a 347 and the Thunder shooting 360.
“Coming out today, we knew that we had enough of a cushion that we could be relaxed,” Wieland said. “And for the most part, the girls played that way. They had a few troubles here and there, but they stayed in the zone all day long. They played well and never got too far ahead of themselves.”
Class 4A state tournament
At Sunbrook Golf Course
Team scores (Top 8)
1. Pine View, 702
2. Desert Hills, 733
3. Ridgeline, 764
4. Dixie, 772
5. Green Canyon, 791
6. Sky View, 817
7. Cedar, 832
8. Bear River, 842
Individual results
162 — Annabelle Millard, Dixie
165 — RaeLee Johnson, Cedar
167 — Rylee Payne, Desert Hills
170 — Maddie Fujimoto, Ridgeline
171 — Alyssa Butterfus, Pine View
174 — Katelyn Leavitt, Pine View
177 — Hallie Wieland, Pine View
180 — Kenzi Owen, Pine View
183 — Ellie Johnson, Hurricane
184 — Iris Pead, Dixie
186 — Savannah Ranson, Desert Hills
187 — Avery Parker, Green Canyon
187 — Brooklyn Rhodes, Desert Hills
189 — Tylee Bennett, Bear River
189 — Oliviah Spackman, Green River
191 — Macy Sickler, Sky View
193 — Lucy Dixon, Desert Hills
196 — Avery Anderson, Logan
196 — Brooke Goates, Ridgeline
196 — Lilly Swink, Ridgeline
Jeff Richards has worked as a reporter for St. George News / Cedar City News since 2017. To read more details about the 4A girls golf championship on St. George News, including a gallery of photos and a short video, click here.