Post-victory! (Courtesy Carol Liu)
Columbus Academy’s stellar Girls Golf team won two matches last week and finished with a tournament triumph. The girls continue to reach greater heights as they look ahead to October, eyeing a second state championship in just the program’s fifth season of existence.
On a sunny September 5, they teed off against Buckeye Valley at Blacklick Woods and came out on top 160-266. Senior co-captain Angela H. shot best with a 35, followed by Caroline Z. and Eva L. with 39s, and fellow co-captain Sydney F. closed out the win with a 47.
Their next match against Worthington Christian wasn’t as lopsided, but they secured another victory 172-192. It was the junior Caroline scoring lowest this time with a 38, Angela just behind her with 39, Sydney placed third with 44 strokes, and freshman Meera S. had 51.
The exclamation point of this week came on September 9 and ended in dramatic fashion. At the Bloom Carroll Invitational on Pine Hill, our Division II squad faced competition from several Division 1 teams as Hilliard Darby and Grove City. But this on-paper mismatch did not intimidate the girls–it fueled them. Freshman Eva rose above the pressure to lead the Vikes with 74 strokes and finished as medalist. Angela, Caroline, and Sydney kept pace shooting 78, 81, and 89 respectively. With a team score of 322, they tied for first-place with Grove City. To determine who took home the trophy, they went to tiebreakers between the 5th players on each side. This is where sophomore Ella T.’s heroic efforts paid off. Her score of 93 edged out her opponent’s 95, and our girls brought home the hardware by two strokes.
In the face of last week’s injuries and this week’s elite opponents, the team has not wavered one bit. Each test passed with flying colors will only boost their confidence come playoff time. But for right now, the girls should just keep on swinging and winning.
This week they play against Bexley on September 12 at Blacklick Woods and travel to the National Road golf course to face CSG on September 14.
