For the second time in three years, South Whidbey girls golf is headed to the state tournament.
In the 1A District 1/2 girls golf tournament at Useless Bay Golf & Country Club, four Falcons finished in the top seven places. The top half of the field of 36 golfers qualified for the state championship in Pasco next week.
Tarra Moore, a Falcon junior, finished second overall with 87 strokes on Monday.
“We’re going back strong,” Falcon head coach Tom Sage said Wednesday. “All the girls have stepped up.”
Senior Grace Stringer followed up her career-best performance at the previous 1A District 1 tournament and shot a 95. She tied with Falcon freshman Kolby Heggenes for fourth place overall.
Rosie Portillo, a now three-time state tournament golfer, finished with 97 for seventh place overall.
“When you look at those scores, it’s basically bogey golf,” Sage said.
“They held their own and were consistent,” he added.
Hannah Roe of King’s was the tournament’s medalist and first-place golfer with 86 strokes, barely edging out Moore for the individual title. It was an off day for Roe, who has typically scored in the high 70s.
South Whidbey’s 101.5 points well surpassed second-place King’s and third-place Seattle Academy, both private schools. King’s won the regular season Cascade Conference championship after beating South Whidbey in a nine-hole head-to-head match earlier in the season, making the bi-district team title a pleasing victory for the Falcons.
“It is very good to beat King’s anytime,” Sage said. “But it’s great that we’ve come out and been able to be deeper than them.”
Since the postseason began with the Cascade Conference Championship tournament, it’s been all South Whidbey. The Falcons outscored the Lady Knights in Snohomish for the largely ceremonial postseason league tournament, then won the 1A District 1 team title in Bellingham.
The Falcons will depart for Pasco on Monday, May 25. After past seasons of taking multiple golfers to the state championship, Sage said he’s looking forward to seeing how many can qualify for the second round on day two and give South Whidbey one final shot at a team title this season.
“It’s going to be neat to have the whole team there,” Sage said.
“Truthfully, I don’t think any of the other districts are stronger or as strong as we are,” he added.
