Lately, championship trophies have become a familiar sight for the Rich Rebels.
After winning its first title in 2018, Rich went on to add two more state championship trophies to its cabinet in 2019 and 2021 (no tournament in 2020 due to COVID-19).
On Wednesday afternoon at Glendale Golf Course, the Rebels added a fourth.
With a team score of 400 (+112), Rich took home the 1A state championship once again, becoming just the third girls golf team in state history to win at least four consecutive state tournaments. The score of 400 was 10 strokes lower than runner-up Monticello and 11 strokes lower than third place Manila.
“These girls were ready to compete today,” Rich head coach Cody Lundgren said. “They stayed mentally strong and just did what it took to get it done.”
Lundgren said he and the team knew how fast the greens could get at Glendale, so he and the coaches recommended that the girls go a club less from the fairway — a strategy that seemed to pay off as the team finished with only 18 bogeys in the round, tied for first as a team.
The Rebels were steady on all phases of the course, shooting a tournament-best 61 over par on the front nine and 51 over par on the back nine, good for second best.
Lundgren had plenty to say about his senior class players, who got to finish off their careers with yet another piece of hardware, saying that “they were just mentally tough, didn’t let anything shake them and shot what they needed to.”
Rich senior Natalee Parry shot a team-high 94 for her round, finishing in fourth place overall in the tournament, while her senior classmate, Ambria Lutz, finished in sixth place with a score of 97.
Senior Brittney Lamborn shot a personal best 107 in what would be her final round of high school golf for the Rebels.
“If COVID wasn’t a thing, we’d have five in a row (as a school),” Lundgren said. “But we’ve got four in a row now and I’m really proud of these girls for what they’ve accomplished.”
Manila sophomore Abby Schofield ran away with medalist honors, shooting an 11-over round of 83, which was eight strokes ahead of second place player.
Schofield, who’s brother, Brody, won medalist honors at state last year as a senior (his third), said that she was pleasantly surprised by a round that she called “the best round I’ve ever had.”
“I’m really excited, I didn’t think I could ever shoot like that,” Schofield said. “I just put my head into the game and tried to do my best. … I knew it was going to be hard coming in as a sophomore, but I knew I had it from the beginning.”
After finishing 13 strokes off the lead at state last year as a freshman, Schofield attributed her improvement to going out every night with her brother and working on her game. She also said she had her coach and father, Jay Scholfield to thank for improvement that she hopes continues throughout her two years of remaining eligibility.
“I would love to go to college for golf, but I’m just going to keep working and pushing myself for the future. I don’t know what my future holds, but I’m hoping it’s golf,” Schofield said.
Class 1A state tournament
At Glendale Golf Course
Team scores
1. Rich, 400.
2. Monticello, 410.
3. Manila, 411.
4. Altamont, 432.
5. Pinnacle, 451.
5. Milford, 451.
7. Valley, 464.
8. Panguitch, 480.
9. Bryce Valley, 487.
Individual results
83 — Abby Schofield, Manila.
91 — Avree Atwood, Pinnacle.
93 — Adelaide Engalsted, Panguitch.
94 — Natalee Parry, Rich.
95 — Sierra Harbison, Altamont.
97 — Ambria Lutz, Rich.
100 — Savannah Ferkin, Intermountain Christian.
101 — Alise Lewis, Monticello.
102 — Kahryme Alvarado, Monticello.
102 — Reagan Browning, Manila.
102 — Hilary Rex, Rich.
102 — Jade Nielson, Monticello.
102 — Charlee Spencer, Valley.
103 — Amy Lewis, Monticello.
104 — Cambree Chamberlain, Monticello.
104 — Whitney Stoddard, Milford.