It was the first-ever state title for the program, which took advantage of the S.C. High School League’s decision to offer a combined 1A/2A state tournament this season.
“It feels great to finally get this championship,” said head coach Eddie McKenzie, who started the Lady Panthers’ girls golf team 12 years ago. “In the past, we’ve had to compete against 1A, 2A and 3A schools in the state championship. And although we had seasons we played really well, especially the last two years, we just couldn’t compete with those larger schools.”
McBee was by far the highest finishing 1A program in the state tournament the past two years, but the Lady Panthers end up with scores well behind the 3A schools.
McBee entered this season as a favorite to win the inaugural 1A/2A title, and the Lady Panthers easily met the expectations. McBee took 27-stroke lead at the end of the opening round with a team score of 339.
“The girls all pretty much played to their potential in that opening round,” said McKenzie, adding his team seemed to peak at the right time this season.
Samantha Melton, a senior at Central High School, and Amber Winburn, a junior at McBee, led the Lady Panthers with identical rounds of 79 on the first day of the tournament. Senior Sarah Dutton shot an 88, and Chloe Tiller finished with a 93.
On the second day of the tournament, Melton shot an 81 and Dutton an 84. Winburn carded an 86, while Tiller shot a 97, giving McBee a combined team score of 348 in the second round.
“We didn’t play as well the second day, but we still played good, solid golf,” said McKenzie.
McBee’s second round of 348 was 17 strokes better than Bishop England and secured the 44-stroke victory.
Melton’s two-day total of 160 was good enough for sixth individually at the tournament. Winburn’s 165 was the ninth-best individual score at the tournament.
Following the win, McKenzie said a lot of credit should go to the parents of McBee’s players who have tirelessly supported the team.
“I really work with a great group of parents who make sure the girls stay motivated and have every opportunity to succeed,” said McKenzie. “We went to a lot of weekend tournaments and put in a lot of time this year to make this championship run successful. And I owe a lot of that to those parents.”
McKenzie said he’s also grateful to local golf courses that welcomed the McBee team to practice after the closing of the team’s “home course,” Sandy Point, several years ago.
“It’s been rough since Sandy Point closed, but we’ve found ways to make it work,” said McKenzie.
Chesterfield
Chesterfield also had a good showing at the state tournament, finishing sixth overall with a two-day score of 822.
Holli Demby led the Lady Rams with rounds of 86 and 91 for a two-day score of 177.
A.J. Rivers shot 109 in the opening round before shaving 12 strokes off her score with a 97 on day two. Lannie Freeman improved five strokes throughout the tournament, shooting a 111 on day one and 106 on day two.
LeAnna Jacobs also showed improvement over the course of two days, with a 114 in the opening round and 108 the following day.
“It was a tough course for us, but the girls got some good experience being there,” said Chesterfield head coach Barry Brown.
“We do want to congratulate McBee for their season, though,” said Brown. “They are a well-deserving championship team.”