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Trio of stars headline local girls aiming for state

Rich Flores has as many pupils as any teacher in the area.

But his classroom is on the golf course, and the instructor had an eagle eye as he perused the dozens of names at the Geneva boys invitational at Mill Creek on Thursday.

"I hope," he said to no one in particular after spotting the 77 fired by Hayley Guyton from Kaneland, "these college coaches know she is playing from the boys' tees."

The Knights' junior bettered 91 male competitors at the 17-team tournament with her 6-over-par total under trying conditions.

Kaneland coach Mark Meyer said this of Guyton nearly a week before her improbable achievement:

"She has had the spotlight on her since she has been on varsity as a freshman. She doesn't react negatively to any added pressure. It doesn't seem to faze her. If she earns the No. 1 spot (in the varsity rotation), I'm not going to deny her that (distinction based on gender and the additional pressure it entails)."

The symbolism of Guyton turning in the lowest score on the Knights' six-man team with the most prestigious tournament in ladies' golf - the Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove - being conducted in her hometown this weekend could not be more striking.

"I'm going (Friday)," she said with a grin as wide as it was infectious.

Jenny Niemiec had a similar facial expression when approached at Rich Harvest Farms last Wednesday as she intently watched a trio of American players putting and chipping on the seventh green.

But it was much more mischievous, the type associated with snaring the last goody out of the cookie jar when no one was watching.

As the girls golf season concludes its opening week of tournament play, Guyton and Niemiec, along with St. Francis' Kayla Stueland, offer the brightest lights among the local competitors this fall.

Niemiec, also searching for a third straight state berth this fall, adjusted her summer activities, the most noteworthy was hanging up her softball spikes during the intensive club season.

"It was to focus more on golf," said Niemiec, the St. Charles East senior who spearheaded the Saints' fifth-place team finish last year. "I would love to make it to state as a team again this year."

Stueland had the most auspicious tournament result - also her second straight appearance - of the trio last year at Makanda, in the deepest southern reaches of the state, with her 151 two-day total, good for a three-way tie for seventh.

When assessing their respective games, one commodity rose to the forefront.

"My driver is the best thing in my bag right now," said Guyton.

"I have always been pretty long, compared to most girls, but I have even gotten longer (off the tee) since my freshman year," said Niemiec.

"My tee-ball has been the best it's ever been this summer," said Stueland, who lives in Geneva, one of three local players at the Wheaton school.

Not that all has been peaches and cream, however, pinpointing the crux of the game.

"I have to keep working on my short game," said Stueland.

Even the most gifted of the professional ranks plying their trade at Rich Harvest can appreciate that sentiment.

St. Charles East's Nicole Rae tees off on the 4th hole during the St. Charles East girls golf sectional at St. Andrews Golf and Country Club in West Chicago Monday. Rick West | Staff Photographer
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