Grand Blanc's Brody Medalist For Second Time, Adams Dominates Div. 1 Field
By
Tom Lang
Special for MHSAA.com
October 15, 2022
BATTLE CREEK — Grand Blanc senior Kate Brody said it was at least twice as good winning two state championships in girls golf than just having the 2020 title as a sophomore on her resume.
Coming in this season and into the postseason as the favorite – after taking third as a freshman and fourth in her junior year – Brody won her second MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 title as medalist, with a two-day, one-over-par 145. She is heading to Wisconsin to play her college golf.
Brody finished one shot ahead of East Kentwood’s Elise Fennell, and four better than Grace Wang of team champion Rochester Adams and Jessica Jolly of Rockford who tied for third. The two-day tournament was played at Gull Lake View’s Bedford Valley.
“When Elise birdied three of her last four holes, I knew on the last hole I was only one stroke ahead, so I was happy that we were playing together; not so much because of (tracking) the score but she’s one of my really good friends and I like playing with her, we get along well,” Brody said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better way for my high school career to end.
“In my opinion I think I came in as the best player in this field and I’ve worked so hard for (a championship) to not happen, so I wasn’t expecting this but it was my overall goal for sure.”
Brody was pushing the thoughts of it being her last high school tournament out of her head.
“I think it will hit me later that this was my last high school event,” Brody said, “but I think I have too much excitement to be sad about that part right now.”
Weather is almost always a factor in mid-October for MHSAA finals, but Brody said the competitors are used to it all.
“I think this weekend was about making pars, as many pars as you can and staying in play,” she said. “Staying focused mentally because you’re going to have some bad shots, but I think staying strong mentally was the biggest factor this weekend. We’re all used to playing in this weather, it happens every year at the state finals, so it’s whoever handles it the best.”
Rochester Adams somewhat surprised the field, but not themselves, with a commanding win over four-time defending champion and No. 1-ranked Northville and No. 2 ranked Brighton.
The Highlanders came in ranked No. 3 and showed what they could do, enroute to an unexpectedly-commanding win – its first in the history of Adams girls golf.
Adams led after the first day at 312, ahead of Brighton (327), Rochester (334) and Northville (342) – but Adams blew that margin wide open to win the state title by 47 strokes over the runner up Brighton (676) and by 52 over cross-town rivals Rochester (681). Northville was fourth and Rockford took fifth.
“These girls were laser-focused,” said sixth-year Adams head coach Jeff Kutschman. “They were loose, they were ready to play. They were able to come out and just play one stroke at a time. They didn’t start the round thinking about how they wanted to finish. They started the round thinking about how they want to hit the next shot. And that’s hugely important in golf.
“Brighton is outstanding, Northville is outstanding, Rochester and Rockford too, and there’s a bunch of other really good teams,” he added. “I did not expect that (margin) at all.”
Adams had three golfers finish in the top six: senior Grace Wang took T-3 (at 5-over par 149), Katie Fodale was fifth and Laura Liu was T-6.
“We set up our goals to start the season and took it one tournament at a time; we were not just thinking about the end (of the season),” Wang said. “Being able to win states is awesome as a team, and in the beginning, we knew we had the potential to do it, but I think we had to put in the work, use the mindset that we needed and work it together as a team.”
Initially, Kutschman wasn’t able to describe the program’s first state championship, but eventually said: “Just amazement, excitement, shock, and just admiration for these girls that went out there and did it.”
PHOTOS (Top) Rochester Adams' Laura Liu putts at the 2022 Division 1 Finals. (Middle) Grand Blanc's Kate Brody after her second MHSAA medalist finish. (Below) 2022 team champion Rochester Adams. (Photos by Liv Alexander.)
Rochester Adams, East Kentwood's Fennell Claim Finals Wins by Narrowest of Margins
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
October 21, 2023
EAST LANSING – Conditions were chilly and rainy, but the down-to-the-wire drama at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 1 Girls Golf Final was enough to warm up anyone with adrenaline.
And this was true both from a team and individual medalist perspective at Forest Akers West.
In the team portion, it became apparent on the back nine that the championship was a two-team race between 2022 champion Rochester Adams and No. 1-ranked Brighton.
Back-and-forth the teams went until they were tied going into the last hole.
From there, it was Adams which did just enough to squeak by, pulling out a one-shot win with a final score of 669 to repeat as champion. Had the teams tied, Brighton would have won with the fifth-score tiebreaker.
The next closest score behind Brighton’s 670 was produced by Plymouth, which took third with a 683.
Rockford (693) and Rochester (695) rounded out the top five.
Plymouth was in first with a seven-shot lead over Adams and an 11-shot lead over Brighton after the first round. But while Adams was 15 shots better and Brighton 22 shots better in the second round, Plymouth was 13 shots worse.
“The last 10 holes were up and down and back and forth,” Adams head coach Jeff Kutschman said. “I think it was the girls just sticking to their game. Just fighting all the way to the end and fighting for every stroke.”
The Highlanders were led by senior Laura Liu, who shot a pair of 75s to tie for fourth individually with a final score of 150.
Senior Katie Fodale shot a 158 (82-76) to tie for eighth with Brighton senior Abbie Pietila.
The repeat crown capped off a season that saw Adams struggle during the first couple of months but come on in the end when it counted most.
Adams performed better to win its Regional at Twin Lakes and entered the Final healthier than it had been all season, especially since Fodale didn’t hit a golf ball for months until roughly two weeks before the season started after suffering a shoulder injury.
“She got a lot better throughout the season,” Kutschman said. “Peyton Sage, our No. 5, played great down the stretch and helped us win the league and the Regional. They all just did what they needed to do today and yesterday. I think experience helps a lot.”
Brighton finished runner-up to Adams for a second-straight year, although this one was a lot more crushing than finishing 47 shots behind the Highlanders last fall.
In addition to Pietila’s performance, Brighton was led by senior Madison Martens, who shot a 74 in the second round after shooting an 86 in the first.
“It’s golf,” Brighton head coach Paul Parsell said. “A lot of times it can go your way, and this day it didn’t go our way. I’m super proud of all the girls that battled hard. Starting out in fifth place and getting it down to the last putt.”
The individual title also came down to the last hole and putt.
East Kentwood senior Elise Fennell ended up claiming the crown by one shot over Byron Center senior Macie Elzinga and Rockford senior Jessica Jolly, shooting a pair of 70s for a final total of 140.
Fennell’s last hole was the third hole on the course, a par 4, and said she was fully aware of what was going on and what she needed to do.
“I was watching scores, and I wanted to know,” Fennell said. “I figured par or birdie (would win).”
Headed to college golf for Illinois State, Fennell won the title this year by a stroke after finishing one shot behind Kate Brody of Grand Blanc last year.
“It feels amazing,” Fennell said. “It’s kind of been bothering me all year wanting to get it done.”
PHOTOS (Top) East Kentwood's Elise Fennell lines up a putt during the LP Division 1 Final. (Middle) Rochester Adams celebrates its repeat Finals championship. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)