By Don Eskins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Glendale Falcons carded a 329 to capture this year’s Ozark Conference Championship. The tournament, which contained a field of ten teams, took place at the West Plains Country Club in West Plains on Monday, Oct. 3.
“Our girls played very well today en route to winning this year’s title,” said Glendale head coach Ron Yocum. “They hit some really good shots and overcame a few bad ones. That’s what good teams are supposed to do and I couldn’t be prouder.”
Tournament top medalist Page Bowman, with a four-over round of 74, led the Falcon effort. Close behind, with a 79, was senior Scotlynn Blackington. Also contributing to the Glendale victory were Catherine Rhoads 87, Audrey Duvall 89 and Hannah Peak 92.
Placing second at this year’s Ozark Conference tournament were the Rolla Bulldogs. They posted a 359 and were paced by Audrey Smith and Alyssa Joyce, both with 83’s.
Finishing third, with a team score of 363, were the Camdenton Lakers. Tops on their scorecard was Sydney Righter, with an 83.
Although outdistancing runner-up Rolla by 30 strokes, Glendale did face some challenges, other than the field, on the course.
“The greens were really slow, the slowest our kids have played on in quite some time,” said Yocum. “Adapting to the speed of the greens when chipping, pitching or more importantly putting, is critical. But eventually our kids were able to figure them out in time post very good scores.”
Bowman, comfortable with her score, said that carding a 74 on the West Plains course was difficult.
“I felt like my round was a pretty good one. But the course was tough so I just tried to keep everything in front of me,” said the Glendale freshman. “As for the greens, I just tried to pick up my ball speed and keep it good and straight.”
It’s been a banner year for Glendale. After opening up the 2022 season as runner-up at Camdenton and Silo Ridge, in Bolivar, the Falcons have registered four straight wins at the Pearson Invitational, MSU Relays, Willard Invitational and now at the Ozark Conference Championship.
With winning comes its own set of pressures and expectations. So how have the Lady Falcons been able to deal with so much success.
“We don’t let the pressure get to us,” said senior captain Hannah Peak. “We just go out and play our own game, one shot at a time.”
“As a team we always remind each to keep calm and our mental game together throughout the match,” added Scotlynn Blackington, also a senior and team captain.
The Falcons will be up for their next test on Friday, Oct. 7, when they tee up at the Bill & Payne Stewart Golf Course to compete in the Class 3, Section 3 District Tournament.
“This has been a great year of golf for us at Glendale, not only great but also very special. Scotlynn, Hannah and Chatherine Rhoads, our three senior captains, have been with us for four years. As freshmen they were beginning golfers and they’ve all worked very hard to get better each year,” said Yocum. “With them our program has experienced four fabulous years and on Friday, at our district tournament, we hope to be able to extend this year’s season for a few more days.”
Scorecards- 2nd Place Rolla: 1. Audrey Smith 83, 2. Alyssa Joyce 83, 3. Rylie Bales 87, 4. Kendall Woodman 106 and 5. Jozie Cook 108.
Third Place Camdenton: 1. Sydney Righter 83, 2. Joy Camarena 85, 3. Hannah Beeson 94, 4. Kaylee Stewart 101 and 5. Coral Brown 110.
‘OC Scoreboard’
1. Glendale – 329
2. Rolla – 359
3. Camdenton – 363
4. Kickapoo – 379
5. Bolivar – 386
6. Central – 416
7. Waynesville – 418
8. Lebanon – 419
9. West Plains – 443
10. Hillcrest – 487
11. Parkview – N/A
All-Conference
1. Page Bowman – 74 – Glendale
2. Scotlynn Blackington – 79 – Glendale
3. Sydney Righter – 83 – Camdenton
4. Audrey Smith – 83 – Rolla
5. Alyssa Joyce – 83 – Rolla
6. Sara Jane Trotman – 84 – Glendale
7. Joy Camarena – 85 – Camdenton
8. Catherine Rhoads – 87 – Glendale
9. Rylie Bales – 87 – Rolla
10. DeLaney Daniels – 87 – Bolvar
All- Conference Honorable Mention
11. Audrey Devall – 89 – Glendale
12. Ellie Guthrie – 90 – Kickapoo
13. Hannah Peak – 92 – Glendale
14. Hannah Beeson – 94 – Camdenton
15. Libby Liimatta – 95 – West Plains
