Vandegrift's Sydney Givens, Westlake's Ally Black in contention as 6A state golf convenes
GEORGETOWN — Westlake senior Ally Black was part of a state golf team championship as a freshman and aspires to take individual honors before she graduates.
Black overcame a rough start to the UIL Class 6A girls state championship golf tournament Monday at Legacy Golf Club by shooting a 1-over 73. Considering she shot a near-disastrous 39 in the front nine, she put herself in contention by rolling home four birdies on the back nine.
"You can't win a golf tournament on the first day, but you must put yourself in position for the second day," said Black, who will play the next four years at the University of Virginia.
More: 5 things to know about Austin-area participants in the UIL girls state golf tournament
Black capped her day with a birdie on the 18th hole, putting her three strokes behind the leaders. She is the lone representative from Westlake, which failed to qualify a team for state for the first time in seven years.
While Black tasted success for most of Monday, Vandegrift and Lake Travis give Central Texas two opportunities to win the team title Tuesday. As for individual honors, Vandegrift sophomore Sydney Givens and San Antonio Reagan's Lydia Portlock are tied for the top as both shot a 2-under 70 on a hot, muggy afternoon. Jasmine Do of Bridgeland is next with a 1-under 71.
Vandegrift, led by Givens (70), Min Kim (74) and Mimi Burton (75), finds itself in second place after the first day of the two-day meet. Collectively, the Vipers shot an overall score of 298, only four strokes behind Reagan in the team standings.
Burton, whose only birdie came on her final hole, said the team is capable of shooting better scores Tuesday. The Vipers are looking for their first girls state championship. The boys team has won state three times.
More: Westlake boys golf team earns fifth straight state crown, dominating field by 23 strokes
"We got second last year (at state) and it would be awesome to win," Burton said. "It would be awesome for our school and our program to be able to do that. We have one senior (Kim) and it would be cool for her to go out on a high note like that. I played nicely but lost a few shots out there. I could have been under par pretty easily, but I only had the one birdie and some dumb bogeys."
Burton will follow her father's footsteps and golf for the University of Notre Dame after she graduates next year. Chris Burton golfed for the Fighting Irish from 1992 to 1996.
Givens said she is confident the team will win the team championship.
"We're going to show the course what we're made of (Tuesday)," she said.
"In golf you're going to make mistakes," Givens continued. "All you can do is recover from the mistakes that are going to be out there. ... It would mean a lot to win as an individual but even more if we can win it as a team. We all really care for each other and I think we all want it more for our team than ourselves."
Lake Travis, meanwhile, will have an uphill climb after finishing 21-over, 15 strokes behind Reagan. Emma von Hoffmann and Gabby Roth matched each other with a one-over 73 while teammate Kate Pickrell followed with a 4-over 76.
More: Lago Vista's Braden Smith wins golf gold in 3A, adds to area's medal haul
Round Rock junior Jiyu Han, making her second straight appearance at state, salvaged an average round with a birdie on 17 and an eagle on 18. She said she held her breath when attempting her final 5-foot putt to finish with a 1-over 73.
"I saw it going straight in the middle and it went in and then I (she exhaled)," she said. "I'm done!"
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Vandegrift's Givens, Westlake's Black near lead at UIL golf
