Ephrata's Kenedee Peters leads after Day 1 of state golf

RICHLAND — Reigning state champion Kenedee Peters overcame fast greens to finish on top of the leader-board after the first day of the State 2A Girls Golf Championship at Columbia Point Golf Course in Richland.

Peters shot 77, staving off East Valley’s Morgan Baum who shot 78.

“The greens were tough for almost everybody,” head coach Heidi Burns said. “The greens were tough to read. If you were above the hole you were putting downhill.”

Putting downhill meant speedy greens that had balls skittering past the hole on the slightest swing. Burns said Peters will have to work on her approach shots to claim a second straight state championship today.

If not for a disastrous fifth hole, Katie Hilliard might have been in the mix for the lead as well.

“Katie played really well,” Burns said. “She just had one bad hole.”

Hilliard finished with an 82, but shot a quadruple bogey on No. 5. However, Burns commended the resilience of her top two players.

“If they had a bad hole they battled back and had a great hole,” she said.

Delaney Mickelsen and Maya Garcia missed the cut, which was set at 99. Mickelsen carded an 101 and Garcia shot 110.

“I’m proud of them.” Burns said. “It was not an easy course for them.”

2A Boys

Ephrata advances two to second day

RICHLAND — Ephrata’s Sean Couture and Ethan Boyd were narrowly able to make the cut at the State 2A Boys Golf Championship at Horn Rapids Golf Course in Richland.

With the cut set at 84, Couture shot an 82 and Boyd carded an 84.

Fellow Tigers John Rawley and Tember Newman missed the cut by one and two strokes, respectively. Rawley shot 85 and Newman an 86.

Othello’s Ben Garza also finished with an 86, missing the cut.

Luke Hall, of Liberty, sits atop the standings with a one-stroke lead at 73.

4A Girls

Moses Lake’s Chavez shoots personal best

PASCO — After averaging just over 93 during the regular season, Mikayla Chavez picked a great time to play her best golf.

Chavez — the first Moses Lake girls golfer to make state in almost three decades — shot a personal record 86 at the State 4A Girls Golf Championship at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.

“Today she drove the ball very well so she kept the ball in play,” head coach Lonny Brown.

After a solid front nine, Chavez ran into trouble on hole No. 12 and triple bogeyed.

She missed the cut by just three strokes.

Despite the hiccup, Chavez was able to finish the final six holes only a few strokes over par.

“She was relaxed,” Brown said. “There was nothing uptight about her.”

Pasco’s Jalayne Martinez was the lone golfer to shoot in the 60s, finishing with a 69, and holds a three-stoke lead.

1B/2B

Area golfers solid at state

SPOKANE — Shaylee Felker, of Almira/Coulee-Hartline, was able to eke into the second day of the State 1B/2B Girls Golf Championship at Meadowwood Golf Course in Spokane.

Felker shot 96, one stroke below the cut. Lind-Ritzville/Sprague’s Tessa Jantz (99), Moses Lake Christian’s Isabella Murrell (100) and Warden’s Lucy Reyes (122) missed the cut.

Kaysa Panke, of Davenport, shot 77 and has a seven-stroke lead.

For the boys, also playing at Meadowwood, LRS’ Michael Shields and MLCA’s Noah Roberts both missed the cut. Shields carded 88 and Roberts 99.

Tonasket’s Cayden Field holds a two-stroke lead with 71.