Frontier's Bailey wins Area Championship

Oct. 24—VISALIA — The power of positive thinking is definitely having an impact on Allison Bailey. That's been particularly true for the Frontier senior and her golf game this season, and the past month in particular.

So when Bailey tapped in a short putt on No. 18 to post a two-shot victory in the Central Section Area Championship on Monday, it wasn't much of a surprise.

The 17-year-old golfer had already visualized it, and in fact had dreamed about it the night before.

"I just envisioned myself making my last putt for par," said Bailey, who finished with a four-over 76. "And making good birdies, and people coming up to me saying, 'congratulations.' Just being Area champion. It was crazy. Everything was going through my head."

With the victory, Bailey qualified to compete in the Central Section Championships next Monday at San Luis Obispo Country Club. The event is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. Stockdale's Sophie Wong and Giselle Valencia also qualified for the event with an 86 apiece.

"Oh my gosh, my adrenaline was so high," Bailey said of finishing off her second straight par putt to hold on for the championship at Visalia's Valley Oaks Golf Course. "I was so excited."

After opening her day with a bogey, Bailey parred No. 2 and then birdied the third hole to return to even. She parred five of the next six holes, dropping a stroke on No. 8 to lead by one at the turn.

"My putts were sinking left and right," said Bailey, who was 11th in the Area tournament last year. "They were so good. It's just my mindset. I see the shot and I hit it, and I know it's going to go in. And I have no worries about it."

Despite her success on the greens, Bailey still had plenty to overcome along the way, the type of adversity that she has struggled with at times, according to Titans coach Jeff Reller.

"It's just her positive attitude," Frontier coach Jeff Reller said. "Getting rid of negativity, getting rid of the fear, if you have a bad hole, bounce back. She had a double-bogey today and she looked at me, and said 'no worries, I got this."

Bailey added, "I think my coach and my teammates really helped me the most. No matter what happens on the course, they always give me a smile and tell me it will be OK. And that really got into my head and I started convincing myself that no matter what happens, it's going to be OK."

One of Bailey's biggest challenges came within her playing group, with Karis Haltom from Reedley-Immanuel staying close throughout.

After birdying No. 10, Bailey bogeyed the 11th, and faced a 40-foot putt for par on the twelfth.

But just as it had all day, Bailey's putter came to the rescue, guiding the ball into the hole for a miraculous saving shot.

"That one was incredible," Bailey said. "It was super-long, I don't know the right distance, but it was a shock for me and it really pushed me to finish confident. For the last few holes."

Those last four holes turned out to be memorable for Bailey, who double-bogeyed No. 13 — the toughest hole on the course, according to Reller — with Haltom trailing by just one shot down the stretch.

Bailey parred No. 15, bogeyed No. 16, and then parred the 17th to hold her 1-shot advantage. She then made a solid lay-up on her first putt on 18, setting up a tap-in for the win. Haltom bogey the final hole and wound up third after losing a tiebreaker to Bishop Union's Reyna Navanjo after both carded a 6-over-par 78.

"It really pushes me," Bailey said of battling with another player in her three-some. "It makes me feel more competitive. And it definitely makes me play better."

Bailey's teammate, junior Faith Hamstreet, battled through a bout with bronchitis and finished with a 93 along with Liberty's Ryder Hale. Bakersfield High junior Kai Figueroa was shot back with a 94, with Liberty's Reagan Antonioni (102) and Jacqueline Paradise (105) closing out the local competitors.

"We knew this was coming," Reller said of Bailey's strong play. "She's just kept kind of getting in her way. A bad chip here or maybe a 3-putt there, just little things keeping her from shooting where she should be. In the past month she's been shooting around par, with three to four over the max. So that's nice. She's just been staying positive all the time and not getting down when things aren't going the way she wants them to."