The Henderson County Golf team concluded its season yesterday when senior Meryl Grogan played in the final round of the KHSAA state championship at Bowling Green Country Club.
Grogan finished in a tie for 44th place after shooting a total score of 169 over the two-day event. She was able to bounce back with an 82 on Saturday after posting an 87 in the first round.
“Overall this season was very successful for our entire program. Meryl led us with six individual wins which is outstanding. She finished the season in 14th place in All-State points which basically means she was the 14th best player in the entire state. Pretty cool!” Coach Payton Knight said.
Grogan earned her spot in the final round of the state championship by posting a 76 in the first round of state played in Bardstown at the end of September. She finished in ninth place. Her fellow senior, Ainsley Dalton, closed her HCHS career shooting an 82 at the tournament.
Though unable to defend her title as the Region 2 champion, Grogan was able to place third in the region tournament, shooting a 76. Dalton tied for 12th place with an 87, which was good enough to qualify for the first round of state as well.
“We spent practices developing several of our new and returning golfers and getting them prepped for future seasons. All of them made improvements in their own way and we are very proud of that. Meryl and Ainsley were the leaders of our team,” Knight said. “They upheld the high expectation we have for girls golf at Henderson County. We will miss them greatly but feel confident that in the years to come we will have some girls follow in their footsteps.”
The boys’ team also had two golfers qualify for the first round of the state tournament. Junior Mason Ranes shot a 79, while freshman Evan Dalton posted an 82. Neither golfer advanced to the final round.
“I’m proud of how I battled. I didn’t play the best that I could have, but I stayed committed and finished the round feeling like I didn’t leave any shots out there,” Ranes said.
The HCHS team also experienced success at the Region 2 Championship, which it hosted at the Henderson Country Club. Overall, the young team finished in third place out of 19 with a team score of 319.
Individually, Ranes and Dalton tied for 10th place, carding matching scores of 76 to move on to the first round of state.
Ranes credited the coaches with his team’s growth.
“We had a new assistant coach, Chris (Thomas). He’s been great. He’s very knowledgeable,” Ranes said. “He’s helped me grow more in the mindset aspect, and then Austin (Knight) is just great with everything. I mean, he’s definitely helped with my swing and just more course management stuff and how to stay more confident when things aren’t going your way. It’s definitely helped not just me, but the whole team grow. As one, we’ve definitely gotten a whole lot better.”
According to head coach Austin Knight, his squad was predicted to finish sixth in the region, after they lost six of their top eight golfers from last season. He learned early on that his team’s inexperience mattered little as he realized they had plenty of talent.
“We hit some growing pains in the middle of the season and with school starting, but leading up to region, our guys understood the assignment and we got to work on specific things each player needed,” Knight said.
He was also excited to see two of his players qualify for state, knowing what it means for the future of his program.
“It’s also huge that we had two guys advance to the first round of state, and it’s huge for them because they will have that extra level of experience that will allow them to be more comfortable if they have the chance to get there again next season,” Knight said. “We have set the standard the past two years of what Henderson County boys golf is all about, and with all of the guys we are returning plus some potential new ones, I feel like we’re in a great position to have a successful season and continue to grow as a program.”
