Yoo, Viator sparkle
After Friday's opening round at the Class AA girls golf state meet, the rest of Illinois might be noticing the abundance of talent lurking in the northwest suburbs.
In fact, if you take a look at Friday's leaderboard you won't have to scroll at all in order to find some local talent. Conant's Kris Yoo started off her round hot and stayed that way despite it being a cool morning at Stone Creek Golf Club in downstate Makanda. Yoo birdied her first two holes en route to posting an even par 72. The round was highlighted by a front-nine score of 34.
"I was a little nervous teeing off today but I think it helps that I've done this before," said Yoo. "I'm happy with the way I played and I would like to do well again tomorrow so I can finish near the top." Yoo's score leaves her tied for first-place with Ember Schuldt from Sterling who also shot 72. They both tee off at 10:18 a.m. on Saturday in what should be an exciting matchup.
"This course fits Kris' game very well," said Conant coach Diana Johannesen. "Mentally, I think she's a lot stronger this year and she's much more confident in herself and her game."
St. Viator was one of 10 teams that played its way into the tournament and the Lions seem to be enjoying every second. After Friday's rounds, coach Mick Drewes finds his Lions in sixth place along with a few great scores.
Senior standout Kaela Klune fired a 76, leaving her tied for sixth individually. Klune was 2 under par through 6 holes and finished with a 35 on the front. Her score is even more impressive considering the fact that she posted a 9 on the 15th hole, which was statistically the most difficult hole of the entire day. Klune will go back to the grind on Saturday in hopes of topping her 11th-place finish in 2007.
"I'm really proud of our girls," said Drewes. " We came here to enjoy ourselves and play as hard as we can. I think they're really living in the moment."
St. Viator also received top scores from Kelly Sullivan (87), Hailey Haworth (89), and Abby Dickey (90).
Yoo and the St. Viator girls aren't the only area success story downstate. Prospect senior Melanie Walsh finished with a 79, which leaves her tied for 22nd place. She was able to break 80 because of back-to-back birdies on Nos. 17 and 18. Out of the 100 girls competing, only 8 were able to escape under par on the finishing hole and Walsh achieved it by draining a 50-foot putt to end the day.
Barrington junior Taylor Quinn posted a score of 83. The MSL championship medalist managed to birdie no. 14, a tough par-3, leading to a 40 on the back nine. Going into Saturday's finishing round, Quinn sits in 40th place and could make a big move if she continues her play from Friday.