Dyar, White Plains win County

By EASportsToday.com
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Updated: April 9, 2016

Lady Wildcats win elusive title by more than 80 shots, Dyar repeats as medalist despite nightmarish 18th

Tournament champion Layne Dyar and White Plains coach Marcus Harrell talk strategy between holes during Saturday’s final round of the Calhoun County Girls Golf Championship. (Photo by B.J. Franklin/GungHo Photos)

By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today

The White Plains girls golf team finally won the Calhoun County Championship that has eluded it and senior Layne Dyar was the medalist for the second straight year.

When it was over, they all returned to the 18th green, the traditional location for champions pictures.

Coach Marcus Harrell was happy to stand on that green for what doing so has come to represent. Dyar would just as soon they went anywhere else.

The Lady Wildcats literally swept to the championship and the first step of the postseason Grand Slam (county, sectional, substate, state). Led by Dyar, their top three players went 1-2-3 in the standings and all four varsity players finished in the top six.

They shot 236 as a team in Saturday’s final round at Pine Hill Country Club for a two-day total 474, a whopping 83 shots ahead of runner-up and defending champion Alexandria. Oxford was third.

Dyar shot a final round 79 for a two-day 154. She won by for shots over teammate Morgan Prickett, who also shot 79. Hanna Dyar, Layne’s eighth-grade sister, shot the low round of the day (78) with three birdies on her last five holes and finished third overall.

It was so dominating, you could have removed the final-round scores of their two seniors, Layne Dyar and Prickett, replaced them with the top two scores from their B entry and they’d still have won by 39.

“I think from top to bottom we did very well,” Harrell said. “Any time your players finish 1-2-3 in the County Championship I think you’ve had a good week.

“I was telling coach (Justin) Mallicoat and coach Brock (Harrell) I can remember every year we have to take a picture on Hole No. 9 because that’s where the runner-ups have always taken a picture. It feels good to finally be over here on the 18th green taking a picture for a change.”

Dyar might have felt a little different about the location. She had a comfortable lead coming home, but provided some drama by taking a 9 on the final hole. It took six to get in the hole after being just off the green with her fourth shot. When she missed the putt for 7, she thought she had lost the tournament.

“I don’t even know what was going through my mind,” she said. “I’m excited I did win it again, but I just wish I didn’t have the end like I did.”

There was trouble right off the tee. An acceptable drive caught the wind and wound up leaving her blocked from making an aggressive approach. Her punch shot got stuck in some landscaping and her 5-iron third left her short and left of the green.

Then came the indecision on the type of shot to hit around the green that had troubled her all week, and whatever decision she made didn’t work out for her.

Her pitch went through the green, then her chip coming back stopped in the fringe above the hole. She left a protective first putt short, hit her next putt for 7 past the hole, just missed the edge coming back and tapped it in.

“I thought I just blew it,” she said. “I really wasn’t sure of my score or my standing or anything and I was sure that I lost it after I missed my putt for 7.”

Watching it unfold, Harrell said it was like “someone ripping your heart out there for a second,” but Dyar had enough of a cushion to survive it.

“She played so well for 35 holes,” Harrell said. “We always preach that you want to make sure that your bad day or your bad moment is good enough to win; that’s exactly what she did.

“People will mention that last hole that she played, but it was the 35 holes before that that won her a County championship.”

What might go overlooked is the brilliant par she made on 13 after her drive hit trees and left her some 200 yards out on the par-4. She carved her second shot around a tree, chipped on and wound up making par with a long putt that would have been her defining moment of the championship if not for 18.

“It was just weird,” Dyar said. “I hit into the tree, but when I hit my 3-wood I just had this peace. I was like I’m still going to make par on this hole and I wasn’t worried about. Even after that bad wedge shot I was like Im still going to make this putt — and it went in.”

On the cover: White Plains’ three medalists — champion Layne Dyar (R), Morgan Prickett (C) and Hanna Dyar. (Photo by B.J. Franklin/GungHo Photos)

County champion Layne Dyar gets a little emotional after making 9 on the final hole. She still won by four shots. (Staff photo)

CALHOUN COUNTY GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP
At Pine Hill Country Club
First-round results

TEAM SCORES
White Plains 238-236—474
Alexandria 281-276—557
Oxford 303-290—593
x-White Plains B 309-302—611
Pleasant Valley 340-328—668
Saks 346-334—680
Jacksonville 362-350—712
x-Ineligible for team title

INDIVIDUAL SCORES
x-Layne Dyar, White Plains 75-79—154
x-Morgan Prickett, White Plains 79-79—158
x-Hanna Dyar, White Plains 84-78—162
x-Chloe Borders, JCA 80-86—166
x-Kayla Huckeba, Oxford 84-82—166
x-Lexee Cunningham, White Plains 84-84—168
x-Abby Stevens, Alexandria 87-84—171
x-Madilyn Turner, Pleasant Valley 84-89—173
x-Ary Rosario, WP B 94-92–186
x-Taylor Snow, Alexandria 92-96—188
x-Allison Arenth, Alexandria 102-96—198
Hailey Tidwell, WP B 104-104—208
Jordan Pope, Saks 110-101—211
Kaylee Reaves, Oxford 112-99—211
Anna Bolton, Oxford 107-109—216
Katelyn Barnett, WP B 111-106—217
Cheyenne James, Saks 112-110—222
Abbie Vingers, Sacred Heart 115-108—223
Maria Limberis, Jacksonville 115-114—229
Celia Landers, Jacksonville 116-113—229
Madison Spivey, Piedmont 117-114—231
Cindy Lopez, Anniston 120-115—235
Ally Ledbetter, WP B 121-114—235
Sarah Ford, Pleasant Valley 126-113—239
Jennifer Torres, Saks 124-123—247
Cara Burgess, Weaver 128-120—248
Autumn Ray, Weaver 129-125—254
Callie McFall, Jacksonville 131-123—254
Caitlyn Lewis, WP B 133-121—254
Gabby Fagan, Pleasant Valley 130-126—256
Lacy Williams, Pleasant Valley 137-130—267
x-All-County

LEADERS SCORECARDS
Player 453 345 445 37 444 435 345 36 73
L. Dyar 354 444 545 38 444 436 349 41 79
Prickett 555 445 544 41 344 545 256 38 79
H. Dyar 353 444 565 39 445 454 436 39 78