By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The weather conditions and one hole in particular presented challenges for Seaman junior golf star Lois Deeter in Monday's Class 5A regional tournament at Cypress Ridge.
But Deeter, coming off a sizzling 66 last week, did what she needed to do Monday in advance of next week's state tournament, shooting a solid 4-over-par 75 to finish second individually and help Seaman qualify for state as a team with a third-place finish.
The start of Monday's tournament was delayed more than two hours due to inclement weather and the tournament was played in cool, windy conditions, particularly over the front nine, but conditions and Deeter's score improved as the day went on. .
"I'm happy we started playing after the rain, the rain was really beating down,'' Deeter said. "It was very windy. If you had any spin on your ball you could barely control it, but the back nine was a lot better.''
After shooting a 39 over her first nine holes, Deeter fared better on her back nine, shooting a 36 that could have been even better if not for one hole late in the round.
"I was 1-under going into No. 8 and the wind just took my ball back and then I three-putted,'' she said. "It just wasn't a very good ball.
"But with the conditions I was OK with (the round). I was stuck behind a lot of trees, especially on the front nine, and shooting 3-over stuck behind trees isn't bad.''
Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior Katherine Tilma took medalist honors with a 1-under 70 and Deeter and Bishop Carroll's Isabella Hermocillo-Jones tied for second, with Deeter claiming that spot with a lower score over her second nine.
Kapaun, which also got a fourth-place individual finish from Meg Tilma (76), ran away with the team title by a 318-357 margin over Bishop Carroll while Seaman (389) and Emporia (418) claimed the final two team berths for the state meet, which will be played next Monday and Tuesday at Hutchinson's Carey Park.
Sophomore Avery Samuelson backed Deeter with an 88 to finish ninth individually while freshman Jaycee Zimmerman and senior Madyson Hardesty shot 113s to round out Seaman's four scorers.
Shawnee Heights came up short in its bid for a team berth, but the T-Birds will be represented in the state tournament by seniors Kameron Burnam (105) and Olivia Morgan (107), who qualified as individuals.
CLASS 5A REGIONAL GOLF
Team scores
Kapaun Mt Carmel 318, Bishop Carroll 357, Seaman 389, Emporia 418, Shawnee Heights 431, Andover Central 453, De Soto 453, Arkansas City 467 .
Individual results
1. K. Tilma, Kapaun Mt. Carmel, 70; 2. Deeter, Seaman, 75 (won scorecard playoff); 3. Hermocillo-Jones, Bishop Carroll, 75; 4. M. Tilma, Kapaun Mt. Carmel, 76; 5. A. Eckert, Emporia, 82; 6. Ronsick, Bishop Carroll, 83; 7. Garrett, Kapaun Mt. Carmel, 86; 9. Navarro, Kapaun Mt. Carmel, 86; 9. Samuelson, Seaman, 88; 10. O. Eckert, Emporia, 89.
Individual state qualifiers -- Ruyle, Arkansas City, 100; Hilton, Andover, 101; Harshaw, Andover Central, 102; Williams, De Soto, 103; Burnam, Shawnee Heights, 105; Morgan, Shawnee Heights, 107.
Other Seaman -- Hardesty, 113; Zimmerman, 113; Adams, 119; McLaughlin 126.
Other Shawnee Heights -- Bowman, 108, Bugg, 111, Donaldson, 116, Blair, 121.
Topeka West -- Baxter, 124; Kell, 125; Thurman, 138.