WW South's Anderson repeats at regional
Wheaton Warrenville South's Kelly Anderson didn't mind missing school for Wednesday's Class AA Glenbard West regional, but she was much more excited to be golfing than have the excused absence.
Anderson showed her joy for the sport at Glendale Lakes Golf Course in Glendale Heights, placing first with a 75, the same score that earned her the regional title last year.
"I was having some really good tee shots, and those were keeping me in a really good position to continue to score," said Anderson, who hopes to play downstate for a fourth consecutive year. "It was a great day out here. It's fun to miss school and play golf."
Teammate Annalee Danneger earned second place with a 77.
"Her and Kelly are 1A and 1B in how hard they work," Tigers coach Art Tang said of Dannegger. "... She's starting to understand and starting to believe in herself, and the scores are starting to show."
Anderson made it through her round without a birdie. It wasn't her best day, but she was consistent, with a 39 on the front nine and a 36 on the back.
"Nothing too high or too low," she said. "It was one of those days where I didn't have many birdies like I normally do, but I'm grateful for a par any day."
The Tigers easily won the team championship with a 323. Glenbard West placed second at 354 behind senior Claire Graham's 83.
"They're in a different world than the rest of us," Glenbard East coach Scott Miller said of the Tigers.
Although WW South expected to qualify for Monday's Conant sectional at Fox Run Golf Course in Elk Grove, Glenbard East was thrilled to see its qualification hopes come true, taking the third and final qualifying spot with a 358. York's 361 was good for fourth place.
It was the first time the Rams have qualified for sectionals as a team, dropping 60 strokes from last year's regional score.
"These girls have been working on it for a long time," Miller said. "We started out the season really strong. We were kind of feeling the pressure the last couple of weeks and we kind of regrouped. It was a team effort."
Junior Grace Ludwig, who has only played golf for two years, led the Rams with an 82, good for fifth overall. Classmate Olivia Sterling shot a personal-best 91, and another junior Gillian Ostrowski, matched Sterling's score.
"It's just fun to watch them succeed," Miller said.
Class A Wheaton Academy regional:
At Pheasant Run, the host Warriors won the regional plaque with a 366. Plano took second at 387 and Lisle was third with a 389. IC Catholic sophomore Maddie Hurt qualified for the sectional individually with an 83.