Girls Golf Goes To State

Last Monday, the Hastings High girls golf team played in their district tournament at Holdrege Country Club. The teams in their district included; Adams Central, Aurora, Crete, Grand Island Northwest, Holdrege, Seward, and York.

The Tigers had a final combined score of 448, placing third out of the eight teams. At the end of the day, they were tied with Holdredge. This meant that the two teams had to compete in two playoff holes in order to decide which team would get the chance to compete at the state tournament.

The team’s scores were significantly higher than what they had been during the rest of the season. But when it came down to it, the Tigers snatched a spot at state by winning the playoff.

“Well, I don’t think we played as well as we could have as a whole. But, when the chips were down and we were in that playoff, I was really proud of the way they played and they stepped up, which was good,” coach Rick Christy said.

For the generally young team, the playoff proved to be a new and nerve-wracking experience.  The top four golfers of each team were sent off in two groups with two Holdrege players and two Tigers in each.

“I have never been in a playoff before so I didn’t really know what to expect, I, of course, was nervous, but knowing that I got to play with one of my teammates really helped,” junior Courtney Burns said.

While the girls playing may have been nervous Coach Christy felt confident in their ability to perform under pressure.

“I didn’t want them to get the vibe that I was nervous so I just, rather than fillin’ them full of information, I just kinda took them to the side and said, ‘I’m gonna go up here and watch how you perform,’ and I just wanted them to know that I believed in them,” Christy said.

The two teams remained tied after the first hole so they had to continue the playoff into a second hole. Burns and sophomore Kaitlyn Zimmerman were in the first group and ended the second hole with a two-stroke lead. Senior Anna Cafferty and sophomore Natalie Brandt clenched the victory coming in with a tie in their group.

“I didn’t really know who won the playoff at first because Kaitlyn and I played in the group before Anna and Natalie. Once Jason Cafferty yelled, ‘Congratulations Hastings High!’ and everyone realized we won, all the five of us just hugged,” Burns said.

The Tigers will compete at the Nebraska State Golf Tournament on Monday and Tuesday this week in Columbus at Quail Run Golf Course.

“I’m really excited to return to state again, last year was so fun and I made great memories with all of the girls,” Burns said.