Just three strokes separated the top three teams at the ladies’ Ozark Conference golf tournament, but Glendale managed to come away with gold.
It was a clear and sunny Monday at Horton Smith Golf Course in Springfield, just perfect for the Lady Falcons, who shot a combined 349 to win the tournament. Joplin came in at a close second with a 351 team score and Kickapoo narrowly missed out on the medals with 352.
“We just try to get a little better every day,” said Glendale coach Ron Yocum. “We’ve been working for the last four years to get to this spot and hats off to them—they hit every shot out there, I didn’t hit a one of them.”
PHOTOS: OZARK CONFERENCE GOLF TOURNAMENT
Wriley Hiebert led the Glendale team with a 74, the fourth lowest score of the day and good enough to win an All-Conference nod.
“I feel like I have made a lot of progress throughout the season,” said Hiebert. “I’m more comfortable in my game now and it’s really nice to have a team that supports you. It means the world to us win this tournament as a team because it makes the good days better and makes the bad days worth it.”
Macy Doran, Alex Briscoe, Sarah Goslee and Olivia Baron rounded out the gold medal Lady Falcon team.
Amber Wilson from Camdenton had the best round of the day, shooting a 70 for par.
“My last two holes set it all off,” Wilson said. “I made a long 20-foot putt on No. 17 for birdie then stuck it close on No. 18 for another birdie to finish even par.”
Wilson said she started off the day slow, but was able to put her bad shots out of mind to finish strong.
“I keep in mind that everyone has bad holes—it’s going to happen to everyone—so you’ve got to get past it,” she said. “Your next shot is always your most important shot so you’ve got to keep thinking positive.”
Anna Iorio from Joplin shot the second best score of the day with a 72 while Kickapoo’s Ari Acuff came in at 73.
The day’s top 10 individuals received medals for All-Conference and scores 11-15 were named all-conference honorable mention.
With the conference tournament behind them, the teams will now look toward next week’s district tournaments. Glendale, and most Springfield area schools, will play Whispering Oaks in Marshfield next Monday.
“The competition will be a lot like it was today—really close,” said Yocum. “We’re in the thick of it, but you never know how it will end up until you show up.”
OC Tournament team results:
Glendale 349
Joplin 351
Kickapoo 352
West Plains 373
Camdenton 402
Waynesville 430
Rolla 434
Lebanon 475
All-Conference golfers
Amber Wilson- Camdenton- 70
Anna Iorio-Joplin-72
Ari Acuff-Kickapoo-73
Caroline Beykirch-West Plains-74
Wriley Hiebert-Glendale-74
Kaitlyn Gilliland-Joplin-84
Marissa Butler-West Plains/Macy Doran-Glendale-85
Taylor Yohas-Joplin-87
Jennah Schell-Camdenton-88
Victoria Hooker-Waynesville-88
