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Keystone Heights girls finish 13th at state golf

By Randy Lefko Sports Editor
Posted 11/6/19

HOWIE-IN-THE-HILLS - Keystone Heights High junior golfer Camille Jackson, a veteran of three individual trips to the Class 1A state golf championship tournament, got her team to the tournament in …

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Keystone Heights girls finish 13th at state golf


Posted

HOWIE-IN-THE-HILLS - Keystone Heights High junior golfer Camille Jackson, a veteran of three individual trips to the Class 1A state golf championship tournament, got her team to the tournament in 2019 and came home with a smile after the Lady Indians finished 13th overall of 16 teams.

"It was more fun this time because I could share it with the team," said Jackson, who bettered her best mark on the Mission Inn Resort course by two strokes with back-to-back four-over par 76 scores, though finishing a spot back at 25th. "I played better I think because I was little more relaxed with my team here. We even chipped into cups in our room in between rounds."

With Lake Mary Prep winning the team title over First Academy (6-over) with an astounding 1-under par total with four golfers in single digits, Keystone Heights High coach Billy Tucker admitted that his goal was to just not finish last.

"I tell the girls that most of these teams come from private schools and that the girls all play year round and at big clubs, but that we are little, rural Keystone Heights High with our girls playing most of the time just during the season," said Jackson. "We were one of just two public schools with Fernandina Beach the other. They were second to Bolles in our region tournament with us third. That's not bad for us."

In round one, Camille Jackson struggled with the first nine holes with a double bogie, but rebounded with two birdies in the back nine scoring her 1-under par for the nine holes to finish with her first 76.

"I think it was just state meet jitters," said Jackson. "I got myself in a zone after the first nine holes."

In round two, Jackson opened with two bogies, but regrouped for nine straight pars and a birdie before her first mistep; a bogey on 14. Three pars followed with a final bogey on 18.

"She was focused on just playing each hole to her best ability," said Billy Jackson. "She was the team leader and I think she took her game to lead the team."

Not surprisingly, but pleasantly pleased, Jackson's younger sister Candace finished as second scorer for the Lady Indians with one birdie on the first round and two on the second.

"I am humbled that my two girls were the top girls for us here," said Jackson. "All these girls are like family anyway, but Candace really stepped up at the biggest tournament of her golf life."

Rounding out the scoring for the Lady Indians was senior Savannah Heinz with rounds of 91 and 92 in her first state meet. Heinz steadily improved her game as the season progressed and scored two birdies in the first round and one in the second.

Junior Sloan Seibert scored the same as Heinz, a 39-over finish, but dropped from an 86 in round one to a 97 in round two with a traumatic 6-over par 10 on hole 17 and a 4-over par nine on hole 18.

Keystone Heights' final finisher, senior Ashton Ludwig, finished at 62-over par. Ludwig got humbled on the first round with a 38-over par first round, but regrouped for a 14 stroke improvement in round two; a 24-over park 96.