Vandegrift's Sydney Givens captures Class 6A golf championship while team finishes second
GEORGETOWN — After winning the state golf championship on Tuesday, Vandegrift sophomore Sydney Givens dedicated the victory to her coach.
Ben Lee smiled when told of his top player's remarks. This was all about Givens and the team, he countered. Although he is leaving his post as Vandegrift golf coach, the team is obviously in good hands with Givens leading the way.
San Antonio Reagan ran away with the Class 6A team championship, finishing with a two-day total of 8-over, 11 strokes better than second-place Vandegrift and 13 ahead of Southlake Carroll, which took third.
This was a good day for Central Texas golfers, though. Clad in black and white, Givens won individual honors by finishing 1-under. Jiyu Han of Round Rock came in second at even par. Westlake's Ally Black and Reagan's Marissa Loya tied for third at 1-over.
Givens and Loya were tied after 15 holes but the Viper ace birdied the 16th hole and held par on Nos. 17 and 18 to pull it out. She admitted being nervous on her last two putts, even though both were within 3 feet.
More: Vandegrift's Sydney Givens, Westlake's Ally Black in contention as 6A state golf convenes
"You don't want it (the situation) to get to your head," she said. Givens said the 96-degree afternoon provided a challenge for all the golfers.
Vandegrift, which finished second in team standings last year, too, had chances slip away, Lee said. There were a few mistakes combined with some putts that lipped out of the cup.
Afterward, the Vipers posed with their silver trophy. The players included Givens, Mimi Burton (2-over for the tournament), Min Kim (4-over), Danica Lundgren (14-over) and Ella Klages (37-over).
This marked Reagan's first team championship.
Westlake's Black finished her high school career with an outstanding day, shooting an even-par 72 that included a par-saving putt on 18.
"I didn't want to end my career with a bogey," said Black, who was supported by her entire team, dad Jason, mom Kelly and sister Katie. This was the first time Westlake did not have a team in the field in seven years.
Said Black: "I was happy with the way I played. Steady. I found my way into a few bushes. My teammates were here all day and that was really fun."
Black's next stop is the University of Virginia.
"I always wanted to go to a school that would make me happy even when I'm not playing golf," Black said. She already has plans to hike neighboring hills and mountains in July with new friends.
More: Farah O'Keefe, Anderson girls complete sweep of Class 5A state golf gold
Round Rock's Han had one of the day's best performances, shooting a 1-under 71 to finish the tournament at even par. Han said she is going to skip her senior year of high school golf to concentrate on individual instruction.
"I birdied the last hole," Han said. "So it was like, OK, I'm done. This is the last day, last hole to finish in this hot weather, I was so ready."
Han said she has improved her mental game over the past year, saying she no longer gets "incredibly mad. Now I might get mad but not enough to change my score."
Lake Travis finished ninth in the team standings with a two-day total of 47-over. The top Cavaliers were Emma von Hoffmann and Kate Pickrell, who each finished 6-over.
After the competitors departed, Givens celebrated with her Vandegrift teammates. They laughed, accepted hugs from family and friends, soaked up the moment.
A spectator walked by and asked Givens if it's possible to win state two more years.
"I think so, yes, sir."
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Vandegrift's Sydney Givens wins UIL Class 6A girls golf title
