TFA holds off challenge from Lake Mary for title
LAKE MARY — After blowing past their opponents during last week’s district tournament and the prestigious Honda High School invitational a week prior, The First Academy’s girls golf team claimed more silverware on Monday.
But this time there was some turbulence for the Royals in what may be the strongest girls golf region in the state. The two-time defending state champion Royals shot a 5-under-par team total of 283 at Timacuan Golf and Country Club to turn back a big challenge from Lake Mary Prep and secure their fourth consecutive regional title.
The Griffins were leading TFA in the early going and finished a close second with a 287 score in the 18-hole Class 1A, Region 2 tournament.
“We knew going into Lake Mary Prep’s home course that it was going to be a neck-to-neck battle against them,” said TFA coach Chris Bateman. “They had us up by one at one point and we had a shootout going which was good. And I figured we would [be close] because they know this course very well.”
TFA and Lake Mary Prep are rated as the two best teams in the state across all three classifications by the iWanamaker rating system.
Circle Christian placed third with a team score of 305 to join TFA and LMP as automatic qualifiers for the FHSAA Class 1A state tournament Nov. 1-2 at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Lake County.
The same three tradition-rich teams met in a Sept. 12 tri-match. That matchup was even closer. Lake Mary Prep won with a 9-hole team score of 147, Circle Christian followed with a 148 and TFA recorded a 149. That marked the Royals’ only losses of the season.
Bateman said that tri-match served as a wakeup call that spurred his team to the strong performances it has turned in since.
TFA sophomore Bridget Ma led the charge Monday, shooting a 69 (-3) that included five birdies. That was the second best score of the day, following a 68 by Katelyn Humber of Gainesville P.K. Yonge.
Sissy Yang , a junior, shot 70, Taylor Zeng and Teresa Zhuang each was even par at 72 for First Academy. Ariel Yu, who was the 2017 individual state champion as a sophomore for TFA, turned in a 75 that did not count in the Royals’ team total for the day.
Lake Mary Prep was led by Karoline Tuttle and Victoria Zheng, who each carded a 70. Xinyi Wang added a 73 for the Griffins.
“One of things that we talk about all the time is you play your game, don’t play your opponent,” said Bateman. “Because one of the things you can’t do, you can’t change what they’re going to do. They’re going to do whatever they’re going to do.”
Windermere Prep finished fourth at 311. Lake Highland Prep was in fifth with a 331 team total.