'I want to be at the top': Young talent drives Columbus-area girls golfers
Wednesday, August 2, 2023
By Michael Rich
mrich@cbussports.com
Olentangy Orange’s Skylar Dean looks to build on a successful 2022 campaign. Photo courtesy of the Dean family
If last year’s Division I girls golf state tournament is a predictor for the future of girls golf, the game is going to get stronger and stronger in the coming years.
Nine of the top 22 participants on the state leaderboard were freshmen and sophomores, including five from central Ohio.
That list included New Albany’s Mia Hammond, Olentangy’s Meadow Tian and Worthington Kilbourne’s Bella Anderson, all now entering their sophomore seasons, which officially began July 31.
Juniors Ellie Ryu of Dublin Jerome and Skylar Dean of Olentangy Orange are also returning after stellar performances that were capped at state.
“I kind of love it when I’m looking at the top of these leaderboards and I’m seeing we’re progressing each year,” Dean said. “Part of it is that you need to have the competitiveness and think, ‘OK, well I need to start getting better myself.’ The girls coming up are just getting better each year.
“For me, it’s part of that drive that keeps me practicing every day. I look at it individually like I need to do my part and I feel competitive with these other girls. I want to be at the top and how I get there is practicing. I think I’m trying to do my part as a woman in a male-dominated sport.”
Hammond finished tied for fourth at 146 strokes at the state tournament, one stroke ahead of Tian (147), who set a course record with a 66 in the second and final round. Ryu (151) was tied for eighth and Dean and Anderson (154) finished among a three-way tie for 15th.
“I feel like as time has gone on, there are a lot more younger girls that are crazy (good) at golf,” Ryu said. “I think the game is growing, especially around central Ohio and in Dublin (where) there a lot of opportunities for girls to play golf. I also think the visibility with the LPGA has caused a lot of girls to become interested in golf.”
Worthington Kilbourne’s Bella Anderson hits a tee shot in the Women’s Ohio State Amateur on July 26 at Scioto Country Club. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Top of the mountain
The three team state qualifiers from last year –Jerome, New Albany and Olentangy – are set up similarly, with four of five competitors eligible to return.
The Celtics are led by Ryu and classmate Alexa Prettyman with seniors Medha Pothuru and Addie Yarbrough also returning.
Sophomore Lorna Zhang is expected to be a key addition and senior Mia Ringer is also in the mix for the Celtics.
“I think this (year’s) team is the best I’ve ever had even without Audrey just because of sheer numbers,” said 18th-year Jerome coach C.D. Butcher. “Last year, we broke every statistical record we’ve ever had as far as scoring goes. (This year), I have six girls that could play a role and have played over the summer. Depth-wise, I can’t wait to see what (they) can do.”
Ryu is expected to take on more of a leadership role after the graduation of her sister Audrey Ryu, who won an individual state title in 2021 and now plays at Furman University.
Audrey Ryu finished second at 143 Mercy McAuley’s Kylee Heidemann, also a 2023 graduate. The Celtics (614) also finished second behind Centerville (613) and ahead of New Albany (third, 621) and Olentangy (637).
“I remember after states last year, (Audrey and I) cried because it’s the last (tournament) we’re going to have together (as high school players),” Ellie said. “I think it could also be good for me to have my own opportunity to just focus on myself. I think she’s going to have a lot of fun in college (at Furman University).”
New Albany also returns four of its top five from last year in Hammond, classmate Elle Furrow, junior Ceci Coccia and senior Emerson Purcell.
Purcell was second-team all-district and OCC-Central co-Player of the Year with 2023 Dublin Coffman graduate Ellie Lim.
Freshman Allison Weisbrod is expected to fill the void left by 2023 graduate Anna Coccia.
“We’ll have some moving parts early in the year as Emerson and Mia are continuing to do some junior tournaments – at least in the first half of August,” Eagles eighth-year coach Rich Ritter said. “But as we get rolling and everybody is there and everybody is competing for the team, we’re going to be very strong again.”
Olentangy lost 2023 graduate Olivia Drankwalter (145), who finished third at state, but return seniors Elizabeth Yang, Kimmy Archer and Navisha Soni.
“We have four of our five back,” Olentangy seventh-year coach Micah Conley said. “We have a good group of freshmen coming in. I’m not sure how they’ll contribute this year, but we’re set up pretty well for the next few years. (Olentangy) Orange and (Olentangy) Liberty are going to be teams to watch because they have everybody back.”
Jerome, New Albany and Olentangy open the season at Pickerington North Panther Invitational on Aug. 4 at Blacklick Woods.
Three teams from the Central District advance to state again this season for the third time since the OHSAA sanctioned the girls golf state tournament in 1993. Three teams also advanced in 2015.
“Junior golf has really taken off in the last five or six years,” Butcher said. “There are more opportunities to play in the winter. It’s amazing because these girls are so good. It’s a perfect storm. Girls golf for the next three years is going to be pretty sweet.”
‘An amazing thing’
In Division II, Columbus Academy showed growth quickly. The Vikings fielded its first team of eight freshmen in 2019 under coach Maggie Freytag and won a state championship on the strength of three of those athletes – Grace Luo, Eva Baker and Eliza Freytag.
Maggie Freytag was a part of Upper Arlington’s inaugural team in 1991.
“We didn’t have tryouts (in the first year). Whoever wanted to play, got to play. It’s grown since then,” said coach Freytag, whose Vikings (647) ran away with the title ahead of second-place Garaway (670). “In four years, they won a state championship. It was really an amazing thing. They really wanted it and they worked hard.”
The Academy program is restocking for another run with seniors Angela Hu and Sydney Fortney and sophomore Caroline Zieger returning.
“We’re trying to grow the program at Academy,” coach Freytag said. “We have a junior program each winter and we’re getting younger kids excited about golf that maybe wouldn’t have an opportunity. We had an amazing middle school girls golf program where they were undefeated last season. We’re trying to grow (interest in the sport) so that each season we have incoming players that aren’t brand new to the sport, but they’ve been introduced at a very early age.”
Academy begins its season in a new league at the first Central Buckeye League tournament at Mentel Memorial on Aug. 8.
Olentangy’s Meadow Tian looks over a practice putt during the Women’s Ohio State Amateur on July 26 at Scioto Country Club. Photo by John Hulkenberg
‘You want to work harder’
Hammond, the AJGA’s top-ranked in Ohio and 57th overall, was the youngest player and the only amateur in the field at the LGPA’s Dana Open July 13-16. She finished tied for 26th with a minus-6 278 in the four-round tournament held at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania.
Hammond (district Player of the Year) only participated in the second and fourth rounds of OCC-Central play, winning both. She also won a district (67) title and shared a sectional (68) title.
“It takes a lot of effort and a lot of commitment to improve on all the little details,” Ritter said. “She works on it. She loves the game, she loves competing, doesn’t back down from anything and just continues to work on her game and finding ways to continue to get better month after month. She’s done some really impressive things, for sure.”
Tian, who is the AJGA’s second-ranked player in Ohio and 107th overall, won the Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior tournament with a plus-7 217 June 14-16 at Bellefonte Country Club in Ashland, Kentucky. Dean (230) tied for 11th with Audrey Ryu one stroke ahead of Ellie Ryu, who finished in a three-way tie for 13th.
Tian (first-team all-district and OCC-Buckeye Player of the Year) made an immediate impact for Olentangy last year, winning the first three OCC-Buckeye rounds in helping Olentangy (20-0) to a league title. Her 66 in the second round of league play and matched at the state tournament is a program record.
Dean, who was OCC-Buckeye Player of the Year as a freshman, improved on her league average by five strokes, but finished two strokes behind Tian.
“As a whole we can keep getting better,” Dean said. “I would love it if in my senior year, I get beat by a freshman. Part of me would be sad. But at the same time, it just proves that girls are working hard to keep rising up.”
The biggest change in Tian’s game happened off the course, Olentangy coach Micah Conley said.
“She’s been in the weight room all offseason,” said Conley, who was district Coach of the Year. “For her, we’re really just trying to increase her power. In golf in general, it’s become apparent that the physical part of it – the weight-training – has become a key aspect to improving your game.”
Anderson played junior golf for much of her freshman high school season, participating in the final week of the regular season before firing a 63 to win a sectional title. She also shot a 69 at district to finish second behind Hammond.
“There is so many good girls (in my class),” she said. “I feel lucky because I have so many of these girls around pushing me and encouraging me to be better. I’m really good friends with a lot of the girls I compete with. I think it’s just a good motivator. You want to work harder because you see all these girls around that are really good.”
Anderson participated in some AJGA tournaments over the summer, but her best finish came at the Hurricane Junior Golf’s Columbus Junior Open on May 20 and 21 at Denison where she carded a plus-9 151 to win the 14-18 age group.
Now, she’s looking forward to spending a full season with Kilbourne after being the program’s first representative at state since 2015.
“This is pretty new to me,” Anderson said. “(At tryouts on Aug. 1), I got to get a little more of a feel of the team aspect rather than just jumping in at the end of the season. I’m excited to do bonding and playing in more events. I’m pretty ready for the season, I think.”