Seven golfers qualify for district tournament

Seven Oak Harbor golfers have qualified to play in the Washington Junior Golf Association district championship scheduled for July 20 and 21 at Dungeness Golf Course after shooting some good scores in sub-district marches June 24 at Mill Creek and June 25 at the Gallery Golf Course in Oak Harbor.

July 2, 2009 4:32 pm
Oak Harbor’s Simone Hamilton works on her putting stroke on the practice green.
Oak Harbor’s Simone Hamilton works on her putting stroke on the practice green.

Seven Oak Harbor golfers have qualified to play in the Washington Junior Golf Association district championship scheduled for July 20 and 21 at Dungeness Golf Course after shooting some good scores in sub-district marches June 24 at Mill Creek and June 25 at the Gallery Golf Course in Oak Harbor.

The young players have two more chances to reach the district tournament with the third sub-district played July 2 at Lake Padden and the fourth and final sub-district round at Cedarcrest July 8.

Many of the local qualifiers are familiar to fans of Oak Harbor High School golf, including Phil Reedy, Judd Ford and Brandon Kenworthy who were all members of the varsity team this season.

Also qualifying for district play were Ashley Johnson, Melany Cone and Simone Hamilton, members of the OHHS girls team.

All of the six of the players list the Whidbey Golf and Country Club as their home course.

Joining the group is 14-year-old Austin Fields, who represents the Gallery Golf Course.

Johnson is some kind of an amazing golfer, having been involved with the game for only about 14 months.

During the school year she, Reedy and Ford all qualified for the Class 4A state tournament.

Although Johnson failed to reach the second day of state competition, just making it to the tournament was a big accomplishment.

When asked how she got so good so quickly, the 17-year-old said she practices a lot.

“Me, Simone and Melany are always playing somewhere,” she said. “Either at the Whidbey Golf and Country Club or out here at the Gallery.”

Johnson and Cone qualified at the Mill Creek course in the first sub-district shooting rounds of 91 and 99, respectfully, and Hamilton fired an 89 at the Gallery.

Reedy and Kenworthy shot rounds of 77 and 81, respectively, at Mill Creek, and Ford carded a 76 at the Gallery.

Fields, the youngest member of the group, shot an 82 on the Gallery course.

If the golfers are able to qualify at the district tournament, the next stop is the WJGA state championship July 29 through July 31.

The state championship tournament is played on three separate golf courses, the Glendale Country Club, the Overlake Golf and Country Club and the Bellevue Golf Course.