RUSSELLVILLE — Marion freshman Brooke Alford fired the low round on both Monday and Tuesday to claim an easy victory in the Class 6A girls state golf tournament at the Russellville Country Club.
Alford’s two-day score of three-over-par 147 was six strokes better than runner up Libby Croom (153), a junior from Russellville.
“I did pretty good,” Alford said. “I could have played a little better, but I was still proud of how I played.”
El Dorado, led by Emily Sinclair’s 159, won the team title with a 546. Marion was the runner-up with a 556.
Croom finished strong, making birdies on two of her last three holes to easily post the runner-up score.
“I played tee to green really well,” Croom said. “But my putting wasn’t all that great.”
Sinclair, who was the 2009 medalist, struggled Monday, firing an 82, but the El Dorado senior bounced back with a 77 on Tuesday.
Alford, Croom and Sinclair will all advance to the Overall tournament on Oct. 14 at the Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock.
CLASS 4A
Clarksville’s Talley wins
BLYTHEVILLE - Madison Talley blew a chance to finish under par in the Class 4A girls state tournament with a double bogey on No. 16, but the Clarksville sophomore still managed a two-stroke victory.
Talley posted pars on her final two holes and finished with an even-par 72 at the Bayou Thunder Golf Course.
“I was 2-under par heading into No. 16 when I got that double bogey,” Talley said. “But that’s OK. I was expecting to shoot a 72 anyway.”
Talley outlasted Heber Springs senior Katie Webb (74) for medalist honors.
Heber Springs’ score of 255 allowed the Lady Panthers to come away with the team title for the second year in a row. Valley View finished as the runnerup with a 258.
Talley gave herself a nice cushion early when she posted an eagle on No. 4, a 260-yard par 4.
“I hit the green with my tee shot and then made a 20-foot putt,” Talley said.
Webb said her round hit a snag when she posted a double bogey on No. 9.
“That was frustrating, but I didn’t let it bother me too much,” Webb said. “I could have shot a little lower, but Madison had a great day. ... I was just happy I was able to help the team repeat as champions. It’s awesome to be apart of something like that.”
Sports, Pages 23 on 09/29/2010