High school golf: Gulf Coast girls place second in Class 3A-Region 2; Fort Myers' Knox second

Naples Daily News staff
·3 min read
The Gulf Coast High School girls golf team finished second in the Class 3A-Region 2 tournament in Sumner on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. The Sharks advanced to the 3A state tournament.
The Gulf Coast High School girls golf team finished second in the Class 3A-Region 2 tournament in Sumner on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. The Sharks advanced to the 3A state tournament.

The Gulf Coast High School girls golf team didn't close strong, but closed strong enough Wednesday to earn a spot in the Class 3A state tournament.

The Sharks were near or in the lead most of the afternoon at the Class 3A-Region 2 tournament in Sumner, but were edged out by Tampa Plant by two strokes for the regional title. Gulf Coast had a 311 to Plant's 309.

"The girls played really hard today, they faced some great competition today and that just makes us want to push harder," Gulf Coast coach Alex Falls said. "This whole season had been focused on making it to states, but now the focus is on bringing home a state championship."

More: High school golf: Bishop Verot, Community School girls, Cypress Lake's Lowry advance from regionals

More: High school golf: Bishop Verot, Gulf Coast boys win region titles; Naples finishes second

Sara Vitasek and Pearl Jenkins led the Sharks with 75s to tie for fifth individually.

The top three teams automatically advanced, and the top three individuals not on those teams did too.

Fort Myers High junior Jordan Knox tied for second in the Class 3A-Region 2 tournament in Sumner on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. Knox shot a 73 and qualified for the 3A state tournament as an individual.
Fort Myers High junior Jordan Knox tied for second in the Class 3A-Region 2 tournament in Sumner on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. Knox shot a 73 and qualified for the 3A state tournament as an individual.

Fort Myers also struggled down the stretch, and fell into fourth, not qualifying automatically. The Green Wave had a 330, nine strokes behind third-place Sunlake.

But junior Jordan Knox fired a 73 and tied for second overall and qualify as an individual. She was 3-over at the turn, but parred the first six holes on the back, birdied No. 16, then closed with two pars for a 2-over score.

"She is looking forward to a top finish when she takes on states in a few weeks," said Fort Myers coach Jim Wainey, who hopes the Green Wave will receive an at-large berth.

Sunlake's Taylor Zachary was the medalist with a 1-over 72.

The FHSAA will announce four at-large teams and four at-large individuals total, based on iWanamaker data from districts and regionals, to complete the fields for the respective state tournaments.

Class 3A-Region 2 girls tournament

at Summerfield Crossings Golf Club, Sumner

Team scores (Top 3 advance)

1. Plant 309; 2. Gulf Coast 311; 3. Sunlake 321; 4. Fort Myers 330; 5. Palm Harbor University 332; 6. Lakewood Ranch 340; 7. Mitchell 348; 8. Venice 353; 9. Lennard 391; 10. Bloomingdale 394; 11. Sickles 408; 12. George Steinbrenner 435

Top 10 individuals

1. Taylor Zachary (SL) 72; 2. Jordan Knox (FM) 73; 3. Kaitlin Ryan (PHU) 73; 4. Sammy Paradise (P) 74; 5. Sara Vitasek (GC) 75; 5. Lauren Hosier (LR) 75; 5. Claudia Hofmeister (P) 75; 5. Alyssa Mixon (SL) 75; 5. Pearl Jenkins (GC) 75; 10. Samantha Stites (P) 76

Local results

Gulf Coast: Vitasek 75, Jenkins 75, Ann-Sophie Bourgault 80, Payton Balliet 81, Maggie Platten 86

Fort Myers: Knox 73, Ava Eakins 83, Ariana Arias 85, Amelia Alonso 89, Heidi Kinsey 113

Advancing individuals (Top 3 not on qualifying team)

1. Knox (FM) 73; 2. Ryan (PHU) 73; 3. Hosier (LR) 75

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Gulf Coast girls golf second in Region 2; Fort Myers' Knox second