Ellett, Coffman qualify for state

When it gets to the sectional level in high school golf, it's all about the magic number.

And Hampshire sophomore girls golfer Taylor Ellett hit the magic number Monday at the Class AA Galesburg sectional at par-72 Lake Bracken Golf Club.

Ellett shot an 83 on the 5,153-yard layout to advance to Friday's Class AA state finals in Carbondale.

Ellett, who qualified for the Class A state tournament as a freshman, was part of a bevy of golfers not on state qualifying teams who carded 83s. A total of 7 girls shot 83, which turned out to be the state-qualifying cut.

"Eighty-three is the magic number," said Ellett. "It's really exciting. I worked really hard over the summer and went out and practiced a lot. The ultimate goal was to make state again. The other goal was for the team to win conference (which it did). That was good for us as a team."

Ellett said consistency helped her punch a return state ticket.

"I got up and down a few times. That helped a little bit," said Ellett, who had only 1 double on the day. "I didn't have many holes where I was all over the place. I was pretty steady."

Ellett felt her approach off the tee was also a big part of her success.

"I drove the ball really well," said Ellett. "I was probably on average around 205 (yards). I wasn't following through on my approach shots. But it was good enough to move on."

Hampshire coach Sue Ellett was proud of how her daughter kept her composure.

"It was a tough course and it was windy," said Sue Ellett. "We had to drive over 3 hours and stay overnight and then she was in the second-to-last group. She handled all the distractions really well and shot the magic number."

Last year's experience in the postseason came in handy for Ellett.

"I was used to it from last year," said Ellett. "Last year we drove 6 hours to get Downstate. I was in one of the last couple of groups. My experience playing in the summer also helped a lot. I had a good attitude the whole time. I wasn't worrying about one bad shot. Freshman year I would worry about making everything perfect. You are not going to do that when you go out and play golf."

Thus, Ellett took her putting performance on the back 9 in stride.

"I definitely could have shot better," said Ellett. "I had 5 three-putts on the back for a 41. You get rid of those and it's pretty good. I hit the ball better on the back and my short game was better on the front. It was kind of a flip-flop with the front and the back. That's OK. I'll work on it for next time."

Hampshire, making its first state finals appearance as a team in only the program's second year of existence and in the same year of making a jump on class, finished seventh in the sectional with a 378.

Taylor Ellett's freshman sister, Connie, shot an 86. Sophomore Jessie Van Dorin finished with a 104, while freshman Grace Jakubowski finished with a 105. Hampshire has no seniors in its top 7.

Taylor Ellett tied her mother's mark of 2 state finals appearances. Sue Ellett (nee Sisler) qualified for the girls state tournament her junior and senior years at old Dundee High School. She finished ninth in the state in 1983.

Huntley senior Katlyn Anderberg was part of the Galesburg individual field, but did not advance.

At Lena-Winslow: St. Edward junior Danielle Coffman shot an 83 and advanced to Friday's Class A girls state finals in Downstate Makanda. Coffman was tied for the fourth-lowest qualifying score of the top 8 golfers not on qualifying teams. Driscoll senior standout GiGi DiGrazia won the sectional title with a blistering 5-under par 65. The Green Wave finished seventh as a team with a 398 and did not advance.

At Waukegan: The Bartlett-South Elgin-Streamwood co-op finished fifth as a team at the Class AA Waukegan sectional at Bonnie Brook with a 366 and did not advance to state.