Who are some of the top area girls golfers to watch heading into this season? Find our top 10 below.
This list also appears in the O-Zone Fall Preview Magazine available at all area Casey’s General Stores. CLICK HERE FOR A FULL LIST OF ADVERTISER LOCATIONS WHERE THE MAGAZINE IS AVAILABLE.
*This list is in alphabetical order.
Hayley Frank, Strafford, Senior
Frank, the area’s best basketball player, is also one of the area’s top golfers heading into the fall. Last year, she was runner-up at the district tournament, where she shot an 84. She followed that up by finishing seventh at the sectional tournament to qualify for state. The senior finished 54th overall at the weather-shortened Class 1 state tournament.
Elizabeth Freeman, Ozark, Sophomore
Freeman got her high school career off to a strong start last season. She picked up matching eighth-place finishes at both the district and sectional tournaments with scores of 94 at districts and 80 at sectionals. The sophomore finished 59th overall at the Class 2 state tournament with a two-day total of 179.
Wriley Hiebert, Glendale, Junior
Hiebert was one of the area’s top golfers during the regular season last fall. She finished third at the Class 2 District 5 tournament with an 87. She missed out on state by just one stroke, but was all-state as a freshman. During the 2017 season, Hiebert was at, or near, the top of the leaderboard for several area tournaments, including winning the Pearson Golf Invitational with a 74.
Maristela Mantala, Rogersville, Senior
Mantala was steady for Rogersville through the postseason with fourth-place finishes at both the sectional and district meets to help the Lady Wildcats qualify as a team for the Class 1 state tournament. She posted a 91 at the district tournament and 85 at the sectional tournament before finishing 58th at state.
Kayla Pfitzner, Catholic, Junior
Pfitzner will be at the lead of one of the area’s best teams this fall. The junior won district and sectional championships last fall with scores of 80 at the district tournament and 78 at the sectional tournament. She capped her postseason run with a seventh-place finish at the weather-shortened Class 1 state tournament with an 84.
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Ashtyn Russell, Bolivar, Junior
Russell finished with back-to-back top 5 finishes to start her postseason run as a sophomore. She took third place at the district tournament with a score of 91 and fifth at the sectional tournament with an 86. The Bolivar junior capped off her 2017 postseason run with a 33rd place finish at the weather-shortened Class 1 state tournament with a 95.
Jenna Teeter, Carl Junction, Junior
Teeter is on the short list for southwest Missouri’s best returning golfer this season. The Carl Junction junior won a district championship with a 73 before finishing runner-up at the sectional tournament with a score of 75. Her sixth-place finish at the Class 2 state tournament was the best finish for any returning golfer. She shot a two-day total of 148.
Marliere Toothaker, Rolla, Junior
Toothaker earned top 15 finishes at the district and sectional tournaments last year as a sophomore. She shot a 97 to finish 10th at the district tournament before lowering her score to an 86 at the sectional tournament for a 14th-place finish. The Rolla junior shot a 179 over the two-day Class 2 state tournament to finish 59th overall.
Kourtney Tucker, Central, Junior
Tucker was a force for Central golf as a sophomore. Her second high school season featured a third-place finish at the MSU Relays with a career-best 75, before a strong run through postseason. The Lady Bulldog was fifth at the Class 2 District 5 tournament, posting a score of 88 before shooting an 81 for ninth place at the sectional tournament the following week. Tucker finished 67th at the Class 2 state tournament.
Brooke Wagner, Rogersville, Sophomore
Wagner got stronger as the postseason went along in 2017. She was the No. 3 golfer for Rogersville’s district championship team with a 93 for seventh place. The next week, she was No. 2 for the Lady Wildcats with an 87 for a sixth-place finish. The Rogersville sophomore would finish as Rogersville’s No. 1 golfer at the Class 1 state tournament in 46th place.
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