by Chris Pfaff, Xavier Sportswriter

No other high school in Arizona has won more than eight State Golf titles; Xavier now has 39.

On Tuesday, November 5, at the Aguila Golf Course in Laveen, Round 2 began as a three-horse race. Round 1 finished with Xavier (+17), Pinnacle (+19), and Casteel (+25), and the rest of the field fifteen or more strokes behind third-place Casteel.

The Drama:

• After hole 4, Pinnacle assumed first place (+18) to (+20).
• After hole 5, Pinnacle widened the gap to a three-point lead over Xavier.
• After hole 7, Xavier had regained a one-point lead over Pinnacle.
• In the meantime, Casteel had been lowering their score ever so gradually while Xavier and Pinnacle were duking it out at the top.
• After hole 10, Casteel moved to within two strokes of Xavier while Pinnacle fell to six strokes behind Xavier, never to recover and making the last eight holes a two-horse race.

The Drama Resolved

• Eight holes later, the dust settled, and the score showed Xavier (+18), Casteel (+26), Pinnacle (+35).

On the Individual Leaderboard, Xavier’s Alexis Lamadrid ’27 and Casteel’s Jordin Cowing were immersed in a drama of their own.

• The second round started with Lamadrid and Cowing in a two-way tie at (-4), four strokes ahead of everyone else.
• Lamadrid scored bogeys on holes three and four, falling behind by two strokes.
• Although Lamadrid birdied hole seven to close the gap to one, Cowing responded with a birdie of her own on eight to re-establish a two-stroke lead.
• Hole eleven became the turning point.
  • Lamadrid birdied and Cowing bogeyed, erasing Cowing’s two-stroke advantage and knotting their scores at (-5).
• Over the final seven holes, Lamadrid birdied twice and so did Cowing; however, Cowing added another bogey on thirteen, allowing Lamadrid a one-stroke win for the Individual title: (-7) to (-6).

Besides Lamadrid at the top, Xavier added two more members to Medalist status (top ten individuals).

• Isabella Piazza
  • Round 1: finished in a six-way tie for 12th place after shooting an uncharacteristic (+6)
  • Round 2: shot a more-like-her (+1) to finish with a (+7) for the tournament, tied for 8th place.
• Natalia Lamadrid
  • Round 1: like Isabella, finished in a six-way tie for 12th place after shooting a (+6)
  • Round 2: shot an amazing (+2) to finish with a (+8) for the tournament and tied for 10th place

Ellie von Kolen and Sophie Pe Benito-Brooks both shot better rounds on Day 2.

• Ellie: (+6) & (+4) to finish in a tie for 13th out of 82 golfers
• Sophie: (+10 & (+6) to finish in a tie for 19th out of 82 golfers