Champ's Strong Finish Keys Escanaba Run

May 31, 2018

By Dennis Grall
Special for Second Half

ESCANABA – Two past Upper Peninsula golf champions went head-to-head here Thursday, and as play stopped for a heavy downpour, the momentum made a tremendous switch after play resumed to help decide the issue.

Junior Paxton Johnson of Escanaba used the 30-minute rain delay to turn her fortunes around and claim her third straight Division 1 championship, which helped the Eskymos capture their third straight team title with a 381.

Meanwhile, the delay stopped Kaaren Liston's building momentum and basically ended the Houghton senior's charge. The Gremlins finished second at 390, a stroke ahead of Menominee.

Johnson, playing at her home Escanaba Country Club course, parred the front nine and finished with an 80. Liston, who won the Division 1 title as a freshman in 2015, shot 85 to tie Escanaba's Megan Dagenais for the runner-up score.

Home course advantage was an obvious benefit for Johnson, who lives adjacent to the fourth green and plays ECC much more often than frequently. Liston's advantage was her tremendous length of the tee, many times landing 40-50 yards beyond Johnson, who also has impressive distance.

"I didn't pay attention to how far ahead she was," said Johnson, who concentrated on playing her game and the course. "My game plan was to hit the green in regulation and make some putts. I was pretty comfortable out there."

"She basically knows where she can get into trouble and has a general idea what club to hit into each hole," said Liston, who said her extra length "kind of equals that out there somewhat."

Johnson, a southpaw who won the ECC women's championship last year, downplayed her home advantage. "Most holes here are pretty straight forward, but you have to know where to hit the ball on the greens. I don't think having knowledge of the course is that big of an advantage," she concluded.

The big advantage for Johnson came down to short-game execution. She was pretty steady all day while Liston had numerous errors on approach shots or with the putter. "I got myself in a little trouble not hitting the greens," she agreed.

"I played well, better than I shot," said Liston, playing in just the fourth meet of the weather-restricted season. "My approach shots were lacking, and I had a few blowup holes. Shots 100 yards and in definitely need work."

The turning point came after the rain delay basically swamped several holes on the back nine, where Johnson, Liston and Dagenais ended their rounds. Liston came out of the delay with a double-bogey 6 on No. 12 and a three-putt triple-bogey 6 on No. 13, putting the skids on her final high school round.

"The rain delay helped Pax out," said EHS assistant coach Jake Berlinski, referring to Johnson’s double-bogey 6 on No. 10 and a bogey-4 on No. 11 that happened as dark clouds were approaching. "She was able to regroup in the clubhouse and came out ready to fire."

With the weather arriving, Berlinski encouraged Johnson to hit her approach shot to No. 12 green after her tee shot – just before the weather horn – landed shy of the creek 155 yards from the green. "That kind of got her round started again, and with Kaaren going the other way it kind of sealed the deal," he said.

"I didn't let myself get freaked out," Johnson said of her brief slump. "I played a good, solid front nine. I was a little bit frustrated, but the key was it was just one (bad) hole and there are eight more to go so I just kept playing."

Johnson's only misstep after that came on No. 15, which had several large puddles – actually more like small ponds. She had a double-bogey 6 on No. 15.

Johnson only had two legitimate birdie attempts but missed on Nos. 1 and 7, after Liston birdied No. 1. "I couldn't quite capitalize. I mis-read them a little bit," Johnson said.

"The first 3-4 holes I kept playing solid and settled in and found my groove," she added.

Playing with Liston was beneficial, she agreed. "It definitely helped playing with her. She is such a good golfer and she pushes me. She is an amazing golfer and hits the ball a mile. I love watching her because she has such a beautiful swing,” Johnson said.

"If I play my best game and she plays her best game, there is nothing I can do. I can't play defense."

Liston said her goal was to shoot in the 70s, which began after shooting 75 in a family outing Monday at Houghton’s Portage Lake Golf Course.

Dagenais, a solid No. 2 behind Johnson during the abbreviated season, was happy and sad about her final prep round. She three-putted No. 18 for a double-bogey 7 and "I missed the last putt by this much (inches on her fingers). I wanted to take second alone," she said.

"I hit a lot of greens in regulation. I wanted my team to have a better chance of winning," she added. "My irons were awesome. I was sticking the pins."

Berlinski was happy to see the girls triumph. "To walk out with that trophy right now is pretty incredible," he told three of the girls who will be returning in spring. "Having Paxton helps when you have the medalist. The other four girls played probably as good as they have all year, and at the right time."

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PHOTOS: (Top) A 20-minute downpour left large ponds of water scattered around the back nine at Escanaba Country Club during Thursday's Upper Peninsula Division 1 girls golf tournament. Tourney medalist Paxton Johnson's reflection is shown as she pushes her cart on the 14th fairway. (Middle) Johnson holds up her individual and team championship medals. (Below) Kaaren Liston of Houghton watches as her chip shot tumbles toward the hole Thursday. She tied for second. (Photos by Dennis Grall.)

Consistency Reigns as Northville, Okemos' Li Top Division 1 Finals Fields

By Scott DeCamp
Special for MHSAA.com

October 19, 2024

BIG RAPIDS – Twenty-two years ago, Northville’s Kate (MacDonald) Schultz earned the medalist honor at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Girls Golf Final with Trish Murray as her head coach.

Schultz and Murray were side-by-side again Saturday, both as coaches, for another historic feat by the Northville program. Their Mustangs exhibited uncanny consistency in cruising to the Division 1 championship at Ferris State University’s Katke Golf Course.

“Truly special. (Murray) was my mentor, she was my high school coach 20-some years ago. It’s nice to be back here winning a state championship with her,” Schultz said.

All of Northville’s top four scorers posted two-day totals of 162 to tie for eighth individually and finish with a team score of 648 to clear runner-up Caledonia (692) by 44 shots. It was the Mustangs’ first Finals championship since 2021, when they capped a run of four straight.

Okemos senior Alena Li also displayed incredible consistency over the weekend with a pair of 73s en route to the medalist honor.

Okemos' Alena Li headshot“I have no words right now …,”  Schultz said with an incredulous laugh when asked to describe winning her first title as a head coach. “Kind of speechless.”

Murray interjected: “Ecstatic, ecstatic.”

“Excited,” Schultz continued. “We knew they could do it, but now that it’s happened, it’s real.”

Senior Sanya Singhal, sophomore Naaz Gill, and freshmen McKenzie Stevens and Cam Baker were in virtual lockstep for Northville. On Friday and Saturday, respectively, Singhal, Stevens, and Baker shot 80-82, respectively, while Gill went 82-80 in that order over the two days.

Romeo freshman Tula Puzzuoli finished second individually (150) and Caledonia senior Copelin O’Krangley took third (152). Rochester senior Madison Yang and junior Ananya Kumar were fourth (157) and fifth (160), respectively. Grand Ledge senior Isabel Kelly and Grand Blanc senior Sadie Kondel tied for sixth (161).

“I’m super excited to win the state championship. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and I’m so proud of myself for being able to get it done,” said the left-handed Li, who in June won the Michigan Junior Girls’ State Amateur Championship.

Li’s fired three birdies during Friday’s round and two more Saturday on the way to her 2-over-par 146 overall score for the weekend.

Like Northville, it was all about consistency for Li.

“I think I was just trying to stay consistent and focused throughout my rounds since it’s a long round as well,” Li said. “Just focusing on each shot and what I wanted to do on each hole, and I was able to stay focused and consistent with my play. Trying to keep everything in the fairway and then just trying to hit the green and trying to set myself up for some birdie opportunities.

“I think winning some tournaments in the summer gave me a lot of confidence coming into the high school season. I was really confident with my game, and I was feeling good and it’s super exciting to win states for my senior season.”

As one of two senior captains on the Northville team, Singhal was “overjoyed” to finish her high school career in grand fashion. Singhal stressed the fact that every shot matters, and that’s how the Mustangs played throughout their special season.

A competitor chips out of the Katke sand. It was all about the mindset, according to Murray.

“That was the one thing we really said, going in, we really wanted to think about, ‘Hey, let’s play like we’re down five. Never let up. Just grind it out, battle, keep it going, and just try to finish strong, and widen that margin,’” said Murray, who was Northville’s first girls golf coach when the program launched in 1991. She stepped down from coaching in 2004 after retiring from the school district.

Speaking of history and the 2002 season, that was the year Caledonia claimed its Division 2 title. This weekend marked the highest finish for the Fighting Scots since that season.

“There is a little bit of unbelievability just because we knew that we could play this way, but the fact that they showed up and actually did it is just total excitement – sadness that it’s over, but I’m just so proud of these girls,” Caledonia coach Veronica Van Wagoner said. “I’m really, really proud of them.”

Macomb Dakota finished third (703) as a team, 2022 and 2023 champ Rochester Adams was fourth (704), and Okemos fifth (711) to round out the top five squads.

Singhal believes the Northville program’s success comes down to coaching. She said the Mustangs’ practices are very good, and the coaches have a knack for delivering effective pep talks.

Those things instill confidence in the team, said Singhal, who could not have drawn up a better finish to her high school career.

“I’m so excited,” she said. “For the last four years, I’ve always wanted to be a part of this, so I’m so glad that we ended it off like this.”

In Schultz’s opinion, it’s all about the Mustangs’ players, who never let the coaches down.

In Schultz’s words, they showed grit and determination. They took what they wanted and by large margins throughout the season.

“Our two captains, seniors, really led the team well. One of them was in the top (eight). Two freshmen and a sophomore being in the top (eight) is unheard of,” said Schultz, in her third year as head coach. “I look forward to continue building that tradition, and hopefully we can get four more in a row. That would be great.”

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PHOTOS (Top) Northville’s Sanya Singhal lines up a putt during Friday’s first round at Katke at Ferris State. (Middle) Okemos' Alena Li. (Below) A competitor chips out of the Katke sand. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)