Hampshire's Ellett cards an 81 at state

Hampshire sophomore Taylor Ellett entered the Class AA girls state golf tournament Friday with the goal of a Top 40 finish by the time the weekend was over.

So far so good.

Ellett shot an 81 at Stone Creek in Makanda Friday and finished the day tied for 30th place with nine other golfers. She went 39 on the front and 42 on the back.

"We're real happy with that 81," said Hampshire coach Sue Ellett, Taylor's mom. "Her chipping and putting was real good today. If she can hit a couple more greens we think she can get into the 70s. We're real proud of her."

Conant's Kristi Yoo and Sterling's Ember Schuldt each shot 72 to lead the field after the first round.

Sue Ellett said her daughter's familiarity with Stone Creek helped. Taylor Ellett finished tied for 20th in the Class A meet at Stone Creek last year, shooting rounds of 84 and 91.

"You could tell today that she's played the course before," Sue Ellett said. "Top 40 is the goal and we're ecstatic about where she's at. She has a whole round to improve on that."