We haven’t posted a tournament update in a while and now that the season is already winding down it’s time to check in on what has been going on in girls golf from late August through the beginning of September.
(Please keep us updated on tournament results, team/individual accomplishments, and other interesting stories as they develop this season!)
The girls golf world loves heading to Avon Oaks Country Club, one of the most supportive clubs in Northeast Ohio for girls golf. The Magnificat Blue Streak Invitational was a huge success with a thrilling finish as Dublin Jerome held off Magnificat by a single stroke. Magnificat’s Cammy Reed defended her home turf with medalist honors and a very impressive -3 round of 69. Emma Myers from Toledo St. Ursula was the runner up with a round of 71.
One of the most fun events of the golf season is the Flamingo Frenzy, appropriately hosted at Ridgewood Golf Course in Parma. The teams brought it strong with some amazing flamingo gear and some even better golf. Magnificat continued their impressive season with a victory, shooting a team score of 308 and holding off their rival St. Joseph Academy by ten strokes. Hathaway Brown’s Dixon Hill always seems to have a good day at Ridgewood and she had a phenomenal day this year. Her -5 67 easily took medalist honors. Julia Gulla from Nordonia and past champion Gianna Reginelli from St. Joseph Academy tied for second place.
Another staple on the schedule for many teams is the Independence Blue Devil Classic, held at Shawnee Hills. The Highland Hornets were victorious by 18 strokes over the Jackson Polar Bears in a 17 team field. Solon’s Serena Wu and Highland’s Elizabeth Coleman both went 2 under par and tied for medalist honors with scores of 69. Wu and Chester both continued their dominant fall seasons combining for seven total birdies in the round.
At the beautiful Country Club of Hudson, Highland was able to pull out a victory at the Walsh Jesuit Invitational following their win at Independence. Highland topped a very strong field with a score of 301, followed by Magnificat with a 311. Gracyn Vidovic had an amazing tournament, finishing -4 and three shots ahead of her nearest competitors. Cara Murphy from Jackson and Elizabeth Coleman from Highland tied for second place with scores of 71.
Big Met Golf Course will be hosting the west side Sectional tournament starting this year and Rocky River’s Invitational provided a preview of what to expect from the course. Brunswick played a stellar round to easily lap the field for the victory. The Blue Devils shot 338 and their superstar freshman Ellie Gonzalez-Ribble was medalist with a 75 and three Brunswick players finished in the top five. Host Rocky River came in second with 356 and their superstar senior Mia Ginnetti finished runner up individually one stroke back of Ellie with a 76.
Seven teams descended upon Akron and looped around Mud Run Golf Course two times in the Lady Irish Open hosted by St. Vincent-St. Mary. Irish junior Caitrin Coyle shared medalist honors with Ryenne Harpley from Revere with scores of 82. The Minutemen won the tournament with a score of 339, finishing nearly 100 strokes above their nearest competitor. Northwest, led by a 93 from Sadie Villers, was the runner up in the tournament.
The Hoover Vikings took home another victory at the Mahoning Valley Tournament hosted by Ursuline. The Vikings put up a team score of 322, led by Medalist Ellie Hutzler, who shot a 74. The Polar Bears from Jackson finished in second place with a 335.
Fittingly, it was Columbiana who dominated the Columbiana County tournament, as their two teams took the top two spots in the tournament. Nine of the top ten scores came from the Clippers, who were led by Ellie Jackson’s 82 and Maddie Jackson’s 84. The top non-Columbiana player was Kennedy Lewis from Southern Local, who shot 97.
The Greater Cleveland Conference met up in Medina to take on Bunker Hill Golf Course in their second conference tournament. It was the Brunswick Blue Devils who prevailed with a ten stroke victory over the Strongsville Mustangs. Brunswick’s win put them in command of the conference after also winning the first tournament. Ellie Gonzalez-Ribble from Brunswick absolutely dominated the individual side of the tournament as she shot 72 and was 13 strokes clear of Strongsville’s Hannah Lee, who ended up in second place with an 85.
Back to back days saw conference tournament action at Fox Den Golf Course in Stow. The fun started with the third Suburban League Tournament on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. While most of the area was watching the debacle that occurred at Cleveland Browns stadium, fourteen schools looked to anchor their spot in the Suburban League standings. Highland put themselves in a commanding lead in the American Division with their third victory in the conference. Their 310 was the lowest score in both divisions. Aurora had their best showing in the conference as they finished second to Highland with a 328. Hudson won the National Division with a 324, 13 shots ahead of Nordonia. Hudson has won two of the first three league tournaments and will look to hold off Nordonia for the league title. Individually, in the National Division, Solon’s Serena Wu continued to dominate as she shot an impressive -4 67. Stow’s Olivia Berlingieri stayed hot as she posted an even par 71 to finish second. In the American Division, it was Gracyn Vidovic from Aurora who shot 69 to take medalist honors. Second was Elizabeth Coleman from Highland with a 72.
The third Greater Cleveland Conference tournament at Fox Den was one of the most exciting events of the year. Strongsville and Brunswick battled for 18 holes while scores went back and forth with both teams usually being separated by less than three shots. It came down to the final hole and the Mustangs from Strongsville prevailed by a total of 2 shots, bettering Brunswick 339 to 341 and keeping them alive for a possible share of the conference championship. Ellie Gonzalez-Ribble all but solidified her claim to player of the year with a -1 70. Hannah Lee from Strongsville once again took second place as she put up a 78.
At Mill Creek in Youngstown, Canfield absolutely crushed the competition as they took the crown in the All American Conference tournament. Canfield’s 332 was just under a hundred shots better than their nearest competitor. Howland finished second with a 429. Individually, it was all Cardinals as Miya Cohol took medalist honors with a 79, followed by teammate Alex Conley’s 82 then two more Canfield players. Gianna Ross from Boardman finished 5th overall with an 87.
Ohio High School Golf 