Taylorsville • Bingham junior Tess Blair extended a family dynasty and Lone Peak’s Gina and Ashley Higbee enjoyed a mother-daughter team victory Tuesday in the Class 6A girls state golf tournament at Meadow Brook Golf Course.
Blair’s one-stroke victory over Lone Peak’s Lauren Taylor gave her a second medalist award, following the four wins of her sister, Sirene. Lone Peak pulled away from runner-up Davis to win a second title in three years. This trophy came in the new 6A classification, in the first year when Utah girls golf used a traditional scoring system, replacing the modified Stableford method.
Lone Peak’s depth took the drama out of the tournament’s second day, as the Knights won by 13 strokes. The medalist competition was another story.
Blair took a four-stroke lead Monday with a 7-under-par 65, but she bogeyed the par-5 No. 14 on Tuesday while Taylor birdied the hole. Taylor could have tied Blair, but her 60-foot birdie attempt barely missed on the par-3 No. 17 and both players made routine birdies on the par-5 No. 18.
Blair closed with a 69 for a 10-under total and described her second state title as “a little bit sweeter; it’s always nice to win back-to-back.”
Taylor overcame illness to finish with a 66. “I couldn’t believe I finished the round without fainting,” she said, explaining an emotional display as she walked off the 18th green. “I was just overwhelmed, because I knew my team had done well.”
The Knights counted Taylor’s 66, Abbey Porter’s 72, Maddie Moss’ 75 and Ashley Higbee’s 79 in the final round, improving by eight strokes over Monday. Maddie Lambert and Samantha Schulties were Lone Peak’s other players.
Higbee played nine strokes better Tuesday. Having her daughter contribute a key score to the championship “makes it that much cooler,” said Gina Higbee, Lone Peak’s coach.
Class 5A girls
Bountiful’s Jobi Einerson won medalist honors two years after losing in a playoff and Corner Canyon claimed a third consecutive team title in the Class 5A tournament at Glenmoor Golf Course in South Jordan.
With each school having moved up from 4A, Einerson edged 2017 champion Cora Mickelsen of Alta and Corner Canyon’s Jamie Connell by one stroke. Einerson shot 74-74 for a total of 4-over-par 148.
Corner Canyon topped Bountiful by 37 strokes for the team title. In the final round, the Chargers counted Connell’s 73, Cristiana Ciasca’s 73, Savannah Romney’s 74 and Emma Winfree’s 78. Makenna Kartchner and Kali Barlow also played for Corner Canyon. To illustrate the Chargers’ depth, Barlow placed 12th individually, without having either of her scores count toward the team total.
