Timpview ran away with last year’s 5A state championship, winning by a combined 79 strokes. This year’s competition is shaping up to be much, much tighter.
Three teams are all within one stroke of each other, and five are within 14 strokes, after the opening day of the 5A state championships at Remuda Golf Course in Farr West on Monday.
Bonneville and Skyline sit tied with a team score of 320, with defending champ Timpview right behind with a 321. Wasatch checks in at fourth with a 332 and Olympus is fifth with a 334.
The final day of competition gets underway Tuesday morning, and the team race will likely come down to the final holes. Skyline has never won a girls golf state title since it became a UHSAA sanctioned sport back in 2008. Bonneville’s last title came back in 2012.
As for individual medalist, Skyline junior Ashley Lam is in the driver’s seat after shooting a 7-under 65 during her opening round. She started out red shot with a birdie on No. 2 and an eagle on No. 3.
Lam finished fifth last year with a two-day 8-over score.
Timpview’s Emma Lillywhite was the only other golfer who shot under par on Monday as she finished with a 2-under 74. She bogeyed three of her final five holes, otherwise the gap with Lam would be much tighter.
The two should be paired up with each other in Tuesday’s final round, so if Lillywhite can get off to another good start like she did on Monday she might be able to put some pressure on Lam.
Class 5A state tournament
At Riverbend Golf Course
Team scores (Top 10 made cut)
T1. Bonneville, 320
T1. Skyline, 320
3. Timpview, 321
4. Wasatch, 332
5. Olympus, 334
6. Uintah, 341
7. Stansbury, 349
8. Spanish Fork, 350
9. Park City, 355
T10. Brighton, 358
T10. Northridge, 359
Individual results (Top 20)
65 — Ashley Lam, Skyline
70 — Emma Lillywhite, Timpview
72 — Kyle Johnson, Bonneville
74 — Myra O’Farrell, Jordan
74 — Kaylee Westfall, Orem
74 — Lilly Wagstaff, Olympus
75 — Catherine Cook, Brighton
76 — Seneti Toluta’u, Timpview
76 — Whitni Johnson, Bonneville
77 — Katelin Bingham, Spanish Fork
77 — Campbell Kato, Olympus
78 — Ellie Olsen, Wasatch
79 — Kamry Bryan, Stansbury
79 — Isabel Wade, Northridge
79 — Whitney Grant, East
80 — Mckenzie White, Uintah
81 — Kindra Hirasuna, Murray
82 — Tacee Hess, Lehi
82 — Sage Hubbs, Salem Hills
82 — Raina Riml, Wasatch
82 — Ivry Herrick, Boneville