The final match of the 4A girls golf state championship teed up a roller coaster of emotions. Park City High School was up against Juan Diego Catholic High School for the win May 7, and the teams were neck and neck.
On the final hole at the Glendale Golf Course in Salt Lake City, the golfers and their supporters were glued to the scorekeeper’s table. After the last putt, Park City seemed to have won by two strokes.
So, Park City High junior Ava Miller said the team began celebrating on the green.
“We were taking photos already and stuff like that,” she said. “Then a few Juan Diego girls come running down. They're like, ‘They got the scores wrong, like, you guys didn't win,’ and they were trying to say that they won.”
According to the Deseret News, the drama was caused by a scoring mix-up involving two Juan Diego sisters. One sister's score was counted twice; the other's not at all.
After a recount, the two teams were tied, forcing a playoff. Each school picked its top four players to settle the match on a single hole.
For Park City, it was freshman Eleanor Henderson, sophomore Madeline Hadar, senior Chloe Aldous and Miller.
Once Juan Diego hit its first drive, Hadar said the pressure was on.
“It was such a crazy experience because there's no other tournament where you'll play with that many people in the audience. So then it just puts a whole other level of pressure,” she said.
Miller agreed, saying normally spectators are spread across the course watching their favorite players. But the playoffs drew a crowd.
“The playoff hole was super stressful. You looked at every shot in every single possible way, which is way different than how I normally play in a tournament,” she said. “Everyone was watching, everyone was following you.”
Aldous said the golfers could take a variety of approaches with their shots: play it safe and go for par, or shoot for the pin and a chance at a birdie. Juan Diego did the latter.
“We all played it safe, which was definitely the right decision,” she said. “We just were locked in on every single shot and just really thinking about what we needed to do.”
Miller had the final putt of the playoff. But even with a trophy on the line, she said she wasn’t too nervous; the team had been practicing putts all season.
It also helped that she had the score in her head, and it looked like Park City was going to come out on top — but she didn’t want to prematurely assume a win for a second time.
Once Miller’s ball was in the cup, the team waited for officials to say Park City had won its first state title.
Hadar said the second celebration was much more exciting.
“We just all looked at each other, like, ‘Oh my gosh, we did actually win,’” she said. “It was just a really fun way to end it, especially because I feel like at that point it really did show that we were the better golf team.”
After years of second-place finishes, Aldous was excited to have a win to round out her senior year. She said the team had an edge this year because every girl was serious about the game.
And with many of the same players returning next year, Miller said the team is hoping for another win.
