Kilcrease, Ott pace Har-Ber to tournament repeat

SPRINGDALE -- There were plenty of changes Tuesday during the first high school sporting event in Northwest Arkansas since March, but one thing remained the same.

The Springdale Har-Ber girls are still champions of the Lady Wildcat Invitational.

Grace Kilcrease shot a 69 to lead Har-Ber to victory in a 10-team tournament at the Springdale Country Club. Abbey Ott, who won the tournament last year, shot 73 and Lauren Milligan, a transfer from Bentonville, carded an 81.

"I thought I played really well," said Kilcrease, who finished third in the Class 6A state tournament last year as a sophomore. "I hit 17 of 18 greens and birdied a lot of Par-5s. I played in some national tournaments during the off-season and I've been working really hard."

Har-Ber won the team total for the second consecutive year by shooting 223. Fayetteville was second with 241 while defending Class 6A state champion Bentonville finished in third place with a 289 combined score.

Har-Ber coach Tim Aynes was pleased with the results Tuesday, especially after the Lady Wildcats sank to fourth place in the state tournament last year at Fayetteville despite a strong showing during the regular season.

"Grace had a great day," Aynes said. "She shot 3-under par and that's a great score for her. Abbey, she had a really solid 73, which is one over par. Most years, that would've won the tournament. Really happy we had two at the top. ... really bringing their 'A' game."

Ott was pleased with her first outing of the season, although she said it couldn't been better.

"A few birdie putts didn't fall for me but, overall, I am satisfied and super excited about our team this year," Ott said. "I think we have a real chance to win state."

[GALLERY: Har-Ber High School Lady Wildcat Invitational golf tournament » nwamedia.photoshelter.com/gallery/Lady-Wildcat-Invitational-golf-tournament-8-4]

The tournament was played with several protocols Gov. Asa Hutchinson and the Arkansas Department of Health require for team sports because of covid-19. Instead of gathering around a large scoreboard to see the final results, scorecards were gathered and players left after their final round to follow social distancing rules.

Golfers were required to wear masks when coming within 6 feet of another player after each round, and groups were limited to no more than four over the 18-hole course. Coaches were instructed to communicate with players through email or text messages and there were rules against shaking hands, exchanging high-fives or fist-bumping.

"There were some little things, like you couldn't touch the flag stick," Ott said. "But, overall, it's still golf. Things haven't changed much. You just have to deal with it."

Birdie putt lifts Fredricks

Elkins' Ty Fredricks sank a 15-foot birdie putt to earn medalist honors during Tuesday's match at Dogwood Golf Course in Bella Vista.

Fredricks finished with a 79 over 18 holes, while Life Way Christian's Preston Green was one stroke back.

Life Way and Lincoln tied with team scores of 290, while Elkins finished with a 308.