Moon shakes early putter sputters

Wynne’s Elizabeth Moon shot an 8-over-par 79 on Wednesday at Pine Bluff Country Club to win the Class 5A girls golf state title.
Wynne’s Elizabeth Moon shot an 8-over-par 79 on Wednesday at Pine Bluff Country Club to win the Class 5A girls golf state title.

PINE BLUFF -- Once Elizabeth Moon got in tune with her putter Wednesday afternoon, the Wynne freshman easily put away the rest of the field.

Moon shot an 8-over-par 79 to win medalist honors by five strokes at the Class 5A girls state golf tournament at Pine Bluff Country Club. Moon fired an even-par 36 on the back nine of the 5,250-yard course.

"That's the way she's been all year," Wynne Coach Lee Moore said. "She struggled on the front nine for her. She had some three-putts on the front nine, but she forgot about that. She's got a short memory, and she really played well on the back nine."

Hot Springs Lakeside claimed the team title for the fourth year in a row by firing a 276 on Wednesday. The Lady Rams -- led by Haleigh Horner (88), Gracen Blount (94) and Rai Pullin (94) -- were six shots better than runner-up Maumelle (282).

Pulaski Academy sophomore Audrey Pulliam defeated Maumelle freshman Alexis Montgomery on the second hole of a playoff for second place. Moon, Pulliam and Montgomery all qualified for the Overall tournament, which will be held Oct. 16 at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock.

Moon bogeyed five of her first seven holes and then took a double bogey on the 436-yard, par-5 No. 8. At the midway point, the freshman's score was an 8-over 43 and she was trailing Pullin -- who was in Moon's foursome -- by a stroke.

"I've never played the front nine here like that," Moon said. "I usually play the front nine better than I do the back nine, but I couldn't get my putts to fall."

That changed once her foursome made the turn. After making a par on No. 10, Moon reached the green on the 393-yard, par-5 No. 11. Putting from 45 feet, Moon came within inches of an eagle. She knocked in the birdie and began to pull away from what had been a crowded leaderboard.

After suffering a bogey on No. 12, Moon completed her round with six consecutive pars.

"I had a few risky holes on the back nine, but I made shots when I had to," Moon said. "My ball-striking still wasn't what I wanted it to be, but my putting came around."

Pulliam also had a solid back nine, shooting a 40 after a front-nine score of 44. Montgomery, however, forced a playoff thanks to two remarkable chips on the final two holes. The Maumelle freshman chipped in front 18 feet on No. 17 and then came within inches of duplicating that shot on No. 18 when her chip rolled to within inches of the hole.

Pulliam won on the second hole of the playoff with a par on the 168-yard, par-3 No. 2.

"I think I should have shot a little better than I did today," Pulliam said. " I had several holes where I just let everything go. I told myself on the back nine that I was going to do better, and I just fought through some things.

"It ended up being a good round overall."

Sports on 10/02/2014

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