Spring playoffs in full gear
Hilldale, Plainview and Turner capture titles
The road to the state championships has just ended for some spring-sports teams, while others are just now starting their journey,
The Oklahoma girls golf state tournaments wrapped up Thursday. Here's a look at what happened:
Class 4A: Kamas wins individually, Hilldale tops Kingfisher in a playoff
Maddi Kamas was clutch.
The senior at Kingfisher birdied her final two holes at Buffalo Rock Golf Club in Cushing during the final round of the Class 4A state tournament. It gave her a final round 3-under 67, but more importantly, it vaulted Kingfisher into a tie with Hilldale to force a playoff for the team championship.
Kamas shot a 4-under 136 to win the Class 4A individual crown by 20 strokes, blistering a course others struggled with. She was the only golfer to shoot under par in either round, and she did it both days.
"It was amazing," Kamas said. "I'm just glad we had the opportunity to play. This experience was amazing. The team has come so far."
Kamas' sophomore year, she bogeyed the final hole to lose by one stroke at state. This year, she finished strong to win her seventh tournament of the year and final one of her high school career.
Kingfisher tied with Hilldale at 719 after 36 holes, so the teams went into a playoff. The format was all five players would play, with the four lowest scores counting.
Kamas, an Oklahoma City University signee, made a birdie on the first playoff hole, a par 5. Kingfisher's other four golfers all made double bogeys, so the Yellowjackets' total was 5-over.
Hilldale also had a 5-over score following the first playoff hole, with one par, one bogey and two doubles.
There were questions about a possible Hilldale rules infractions during the first playoff hole, but the tournament manager deemed no violation occurred.
The second playoff hole was a par 3. Kingfisher's four counting scores were all bogeys. Three of Hilldale's were bogeys, as well, but the Hornets also had a par, giving them a one-shot advantage after the second playoff hole and the victory.
"The end was great," Hilldale coach Oren Sikes said. "Between that, nerve wracking. I thought we had lost on that first playoff hole, but the next hole was great."
Hilldale also won the Class 4A championship in 2019. This is the sixth state title in school history.
Class 3A: Oklahoma Christian School’s Benn captures first individual title
Brooklyn Benn took her play to another level in the final round of the Class 3A girls golf state tournament.
The Oklahoma Christian School junior was the leader entering Thursday after a solid first round.
But she was even better in the finale. Benn shot a bogey-free 6-under 64 at Westwood Park in Norman, finishing with a two-day total of 132 and winning her first individual state title.
“I just went out there and played my game,” Benn said. “I didn't hit the ball as great, but I putted really well, and I think that's what kept me going. A bogey-free round is a bogey-free round. I just kept going. I didn't even know what I was at. I just kept playing.”
Benn finished 10 strokes ahead of runner-up Drew Faires of Mount St. Mary. Plainview senior and Oklahoma City University signee Reagan Chaney was one stroke behind Faires and placed third.
“I'm honestly very surprised of the lead I had,” Benn said. “There are some really good golfers in this tournament. I'm happy obviously that I won by that many, but I know that these girls are really good.”
Benn helped OCS place second in the team standings with a 638 total. Plainview won with a 628 to claim its fourth consecutive state championship (two in 4A and two in 3A).
OCS had two top-five finishers in Benn and Alex Peters, who had a 153 total.
Class 2A: Turner wins second state championship
Jimmy Voight wore a big smile and shook hands with coaches and Turner fans as the final scores came in on the leaderboard.
He had a reason to be joyful. Turner High School, led by three freshmen and two sophomores, won the Class 2A girls golf state championship at Cimarron National Golf Club in Guthrie.
“We think we're onto something really special,” Voight said of his young squad. “Obviously we've got three or four more years that we may have a run at this thing.”
Turner shot a 329 on Wednesday and then a 325 on Thursday to capture the title. With an overall score of 654, Turner finished nine strokes ahead of second-place Christian Heritage (332-331 — 663)
Turner's Josey Cavitt, Isabella Dobson, Braylee Foster and Hope Hill all shot below 187 in the tournament. But it was freshman two-bagger Jaci Hartman who led the way. Hartman shot her “best score” of 67 on the par 69 to finish at 140. She finished second overall in the field.
“I'm shocked by it,” Hartman said. “I was pretty nervous because it's freshman year but besides that, I felt pretty good about it. First hole is scary but after that, I felt good.”
The Turner girls golf team will travel back home with its second title in program history — the previous in 2014. With the near 2 1/2-hour bus ride back home — 28 miles outside of Ardmore, Turner will have a lot of time to prepare for its celebration.
“We're just a golfing community,” Voight said. “It's going to be a joyful time coming home tonight. There will probably be a big fire truck and police escort and all that stuff.”
Regent Prep's Jenni Roller won the individual championship. She shot 133. Regent Prep (711) placed third overall.