The only thing hotter than the weather at Tuesday’s Region 2 Golf Tournament was the golf game of Karra Tucker.
Tucker shot a 4-under-par 68 to win the region title at the Henderson Country Club. She finished third last year and is the second straight Lady Maroon to bag the region title.
She made par on the first three holes, then birdied the next three. She made the turn at 3-under par. Tucker had two birdies and a bogey on the back side to finish her round at 4-under.
Daviess County’s Claire Reynolds had a birdie and a bogey on the front nine to shoot even par. She came in a 1-over on the back nine to card a 73 and finish in second place.
University Heights Academy’s Conlee Lindsey and Hopkinsville’s Cate Blane tied for third place with rounds of 78. Lindsey hit a hole-in-one on the par-3 fourth hole to drop to 2-under par.
However, she struggled over her next five holes, shooting 7-over par.
She regained focus on the back nine and shot a 1-over par, including a birdie on No. 18.
Blane was a model of consistency throughout her round and finished par-par-birdie to earn a top-five finish.
UHA senior Rheagan Lindsey rounded out the top-five with a score of 80.
The region tournament marks the first time the new qualifying format for the state tournament was implemented by the KHSAA starting with the 2022 season. In the past, the region winner and the next seven individuals qualified for the state tournament.
In an attempt to strengthen the field, a state first round was added. The region tournament now sends two teams and 10 individuals to the state first round made up of four regions. From there, three teams and 15 individuals advance to the final round in Bowling Green.
Daviess County won the team title with 325 points. In addition to Reynolds, Alexa Salamah and Baylie Billingsly tied for seventh place with a round of 83. Annalee Yager tied for tenth place with an 86.
Madisonville, playing with injured No. 2 golfer Sydney Browning, finished in second place with 380 points. Grace Riddle shot a 98 to finish 19th and Caroline Lovern shot a 99 to finish tied for 20th place.
Both teams advance to the state first round next week at the Owensboro Country Club.
Also advancing as individuals are Blane, the Lindsey sisters, Anna Fort from Hopkinsville, Mary Ann Lyons from Apollo, Adelyn Moorman from Breckenridge County, Merely Grogan from Henderson County, and Elli Graves from Ohio County.
UHA finished sixth as a team with 411 points with Allie Sandifer contributing a 124 and Campbell Lindsey a 129 in their first region meets.
Also playing in her first region tourney was Christian County’s Allie Ezell who carded a 152.
REGION TOP 20
68 Karra Tucker – Madisonville
73 Claire Reynolds – Daviess County
78 Conlee Lindsey – University Heights
78 Cate Blane – Hopkinsville
80 Rheagan Lindsey – University Heights
82 Meryl Grogan – Henderson County
83 Alexa Salamah – Daviess County
83 Baylie Billingsly – Daviess County
84 Mary Ann Lyons – Apollo
86 Annalee Yager – Daviess County
86 Anna Fort – Hopkinsville
87 Adelyn Moorman – Breckenridge County
90 Elli Graves – Ohio County
91 Hannah Robbins – Owensboro Catholic
91 Addie-Belle Rutman – Owensboro Catholic
91 Drew Sprague – Union County
93 Ainsley Dalton – Henderson County
95 RC Porter – Owensboro Catholic
98 Grace Riddle – Madisonville
99 Caroline Lovorn – Madisonville
99 Natalee Littlepage – Webster County
TEAM SCORES
Daviess County – 325
Madisonville – 380
Henderson County – 383
Owensboro Catholic – 385
Breckenridge County – 391
University Heights – 411
Union County – 426
Muhlenberg County – 444
Webster County – 459
McLean County – 580
