Demons take 6th on wild weekend of girls state golf

ADEL — With three key seniors and a legendary coach gone from last year’s state title team, it wasn’t an easy trek for the 2022 Washington girls golf team to wind up where they did this weekend.

The junior-led Demons took sixth place at the Class 3A state tournament, beating four other qualifying squads with a final stroke total of 805. That was just six strokes behind fifth-place West Delaware.

“It's really awesome that we made it here, without our (graduated) seniors,” said Makenna Conrad. “We really didn't know what to expect, so we're happy with sixth place.”

Conrad paced the Demons with a 17th-place finish. She shota 95 in her first round and a 87 on day two for a 182. Kaylin Long wasn’t far behind that pace, shooting a 93 and a 91 to finish out at a 184, which tied her for 18th.

Alecia Goff went 52 on Friday and 57 on Saturday for a 109. She was the only other Demon to score on both days.

“We came back as a new team,” Goff said. “I think we did really good, and I'm just hoping to see some more improvement next year.”

Mallory Johnson finished the tournament with a 224. Maci Williams ended the tournament with a 238, and Haley Mitchell shot 242. All three were new members to the varsity squad this go-round.

“They really showed up and put in the work,” Goff said. “We're really proud of the new three that came up.”

The area’s top individual performer was Mt. Pleasant’s Sami Wibben. Wibben, who qualified third in the regional had a great showing. The Panther senior shot 88 on the first day and 87 on the second to tie for 14th, at 175.

“I'm just glad I got to make it this far,” Wibben said. “This was a really good experience to play with these girls, and really just be out here today.”

A similar sentiment came from Fairfield’s Myah Twohill, who shot a 111 and a 110 to end up at 221. She tied for 54th in her first time at the state meet.

“It still doesn't feel real yet, even though it's already over,” Twohill said. “I've just been kind of riding this really big high since regionals.”

Horrors on Hole 18

One subplot that arose throughout the Class 3A state tournament revolved around a curious pin placement on the 18th green. An already tough hole became next to impossible as the pin sat right on top of a steep slope, with nearly no room to navigate.

“Girls have been like, six-putting on this green,” Wibben said. “It's tough.”

The green devoured much of the competition, as over and over again, players saw putts that narrowly missed the cup role all the way off the green, no matter the angle.

“I had a good first two shots, and then I had a decent third one,” Conrad said. “But just like everyone else, it ended up rolling all the way back to where I was.”

The average on the hole was four over par, and the tournament soon went viral, with even nationwide websites like Golf.com, Golf Week and Barstool Sports adding videos and commentary to their sites.

The worst score on the hole was a whopping 15, but Union area golfers stayed in single digits. Conrad and Wibben made bogey on the hole, and Long was one of the rare players who sank a putt for par.

“My plan there was just to aim high on the hole and just hope for the best,” Long said. “I got lucky, and it just broke the way I wanted it to.”

FINAL TEAM SCORES

1. Clear Lake 713

2. Gilbert 716

3. Dubuque Wahlert 750

4. Lisbon 785

5. West Delaware 799

6. Washington 805

7. Humboldt 828

8. Solon 832

9. Sioux Center 835

10. ADM 881