East High Golf, Regional Edition - Monday, October 9, 2023

Jillian Hutchinson shot a 97 to qualify for next week's state golf tournament.

On Monday, October 9, the East High girls golf team competed in the KSHSAA 6A Regional tournament hosted by North High, one of three 6A regionals taking place around the state.  The tournament was held at Sim Park Golf Course, and while it was cool in the morning, it turned into a beautiful day for golf.  Our last two tournaments had been played at Sim Park, so I was hopeful that the girls familiarity with the course would pay off.  That was true for some of our golfers, but because golf is golf, familiarity with the course wasn't enough for some others.

Prior to the first tee times, I met the girls at the MacDonald driving range.  The first thing I noticed was that Jillian Hutchinson was in a great mood.  I have had the privilege of coaching Jillian for three years now, and generally, when she is in a good mood, good things happen for her on the course.  Monday was no exception.  After a triple-bogey, double-bogey start to her round, Jillian settled in and started hitting the ball really well.  Her putting wasn't quite what she had hoped it would be, but she hit enough good shots to shoot a 97 and finish 13th.  She had an exceptionally strong finish to her round as well, as she was only nine-over par on her final eight holes. And, as many of you may've already heard, her score qualified her for next week's state tournament!  It is the second year in a row that Jillian will represent East High at the 6A state golf tournament.

Freshman Olivia Sanchez played some of her best golf of the year on the back nine Monday, shooting a 50, and an 18 hole score of 107.  It was her best result of the season, and it earned her a T22nd finish.  As she walked off the 18th green she was understandably thrilled.  But a short time later, heartbreak set in when we realized she had missed qualifying for state by one...stinking...shot.  While it would've been awesome to have a second golfer qualify, I am excited to watch Olivia continue to improve over the next three years.

Mackenzie Wright hit the ball consistently better than she had all season, and she finished 33rd with a score of 122.  Her putting was not the best on Monday, and if it had been a little better, she would've easily shot her best score of the season.  The season has been a bit of a struggle for Mackenzie, but she has maintained a positive attitude throughout, and I am so proud of how she has persevered.

Coming into the tournament I had a hunch that if Faith Mantzke could at least equal her best score of the season (103), she might be able to qualify for state.  My hunch proved correct, but Faith's game, unfortunately, did not cooperate.  Throughout the season Faith's scores trended lower and lower, but on Monday she shot, by far, her highest score of the season, finishing 36th with a score of 126.  To put her score into further context, her front-nine 68 was her worst nine-hole score of the season...by six shots!  She did bounce back on the back-nine with a 58, but the damage had been done.  Despite the finish to her season, Faith is another one of our golfers with a lot of potential.  And with a bit of work this off-season, she will be competitive next season.

Before the round started, Haylie Bustos confessed to me that she was a bit nervous.  I tried to reassure her by telling her that she had played this course twice in the last twelve days, and that she had done well during both of those tournaments.  Her first two holes weren't very good, but she got a double-bogey on her third hole, and I saw her hit an awesome wedge shot on her fourth hole that set her up for a really nice up-and-down bogey.  Those turned out to be the highlights of her round.  Haylie had little fun throughout the rest of her round, and when the dust had settled, she had shot a 153, 27(!) shots worse than her score a week prior at the exact same course.  Again, that is golf.  Haylie finished 48th.  Despite her disappointment, Haylie has come exceptionally far this season, and I hope she is proud of the progress she made this season.

The individual medalist at this regional was Kinslea Jones from Maize High School, who shot a two-under 69.  Kinslea is a junior and is possibly the best golfer in the state.  She is a two-time defending state champion in 5A, and comes from good genes: her grandfather, Grier Jones, played on the PGA Tour, and was the longtime golf coach at Wichita State.  Needless to say, she knows what she's doing.  Maize High also took first as a team; East High finished seventh in the team standings.  For complete tournament results, click here.

Our season wraps up next week as Jillian heads to Emporia to compete in the KSHSAA 6A State Championship.  The golf season is relatively short, and it always seems to fly by, but I have so enjoyed working with my team.  I can only hope that during the season I was able to convey to them some sort of appreciation for this crazy, goofy, wonderful game.