Grapeland, Latexo Girls Compete in State UIL Golf Tournament
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
KINGSLAND – It may be hard to believe, but since before the 2011 UIL State Golf Tournament, when the players gathered at the opening hole for instructions, there has been a golfer from Houston County amidst the group, ready to tee off.
It might even be argued, when a player not from Houston County was paired with a competitor wearing a logo from Crockett, Grapeland, Latexo or Lovelady – a little bit of intimidation occurred.
In 2011, the Class 1A Girls’ Tournament saw the Grapeland Sandiettes make their presence known. The team of Amy Brown, Justine Dancer, Lisa Frauenberger, Shelby Frauenberger and Jayde Westbrook carded a combined 731 over the two-day competition to secure the silver medal.
Since then, teams from Houston County have sent representatives to Austin to compete as both girls and boys from Houston County have won a few team titles to go along with several individual titles.
This year was no different as the Grapeland Sandiettes and Latexo Lady Tigers were in action. The course had been changed this year from the Roy Kizer Golf Course to the Legends Golf Course in Kingsland, approximately an hour west of Austin.
The team of Marley Duhon, Gracie Conner, Tori Woodford and Mary Jane Watson represented Grapeland while Natalie Nicol, Kyndall Suleski, Kennedy Patterson, Joey Lewis and Jaycee Lowery represented the Latexo green.
The Sandiettes finished 10th as a team with a two-day score of 669. Day one saw the girls from Grapeland card a 450 while the Day Two score was 219. Only nine holes were played on the second day.
Mary Jane Watson led the charge for the Sandiettes with a 147 combined score (103-44). Gracie Conner shot a 164 (106-58), Tori Woodford had a 167 (110-57) and Marley Duhon carded a 191 (131-60).
The Latexo Lady Tigers finished the tournament in 12th place with a two-day total of 691. The Lady Tigers shot a combined 462 on Day One and closed out the tournament with a score of 229 on Day Two.
Kyndall Suleski paced the Lady Tigers with a two-day total of 163 (107-56). Natalie Nicol wasn’t far behind her teammate as she shot a 169 (112-57). Jaycee Lowery recorded a 178 (119-59), Kennedy Patterson had a 181 (124-57) and Joey Lewis shot a 214 (142-72).
Congratulations to all the golfers on a job well done!
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
