GEORGETOWN — Vandegrift sophomore Mimi Burton picked a good time to shoot the best round of her career.
Burton finished Monday’s first round of the Class 6A tournament at Legacy Hills Golf Club with a 3-under 69, which is tied with San Angelo Central’s Ryann Honea for the lead.
Burton’s record-low score helped Vandegrift claim the team lead after 18 holes with a 7-over 295.
“It means a lot,” she said. “I shot a bunch of rounds in the 60s in the summer, but it’s been awhile. I’ve been a little off track, and that’s been annoying. I’ve been struggling, so it was good to be at state and play a really solid round.”
Burton was especially good on the front nine with three birdies and not a single bogey. A first-time competitor at the state meet, Burton also showed some mental fortitude on the back nine. After rebounding from her lone bogey in the round on Legacy Hill’s tricky No. 13, she reeled off three consecutive pars and capped her round with a birdie on the par-4 18th hole.
Burton regularly plays Legacy Hills, but she had never shot lower than a 74 on the course.
As a team, the Vipers positioned themselves within striking distance of its first team title in school history. Vandegrift, competing in its sixth state tournament, finished second in Class 5A in 2016 and third in 5A in 2015. The Vipers’ Sydney Givens and Danica Lundgren are among a group of players tied for 11th with a 3-over 75.
Lewisville Hebron finished the day three strokes behind Vandegrift, while two-time defending state champion Westlake will enter the final round tied for third with The Woodlands with a 20-over 308.
Westlake coach Ashley Herod, who’s in her third season as head coach after four years as an assistant with the Chaps, was in no mood to concede after the first round. The Chaps have three seniors and two juniors as well as a championship pedigree that includes four state titles since 2010. That experience will help Westlake tomorrow, said Herod.
“We left some strokes out there, which we will find tomorrow,” she said. “You always have those nerves and excitement coming to state, but we’re one of the older teams out here. It plays to our benefit having been here before and playing this course. It makes them more comfortable on the tee box and on the greens.
Westlake senior Jackie Feldman, a Notre Dame signee who shot a 4-over 76, said returning to Legacy Hills for one final time is a perfect way to cap a brilliant prep career that already includes state titles in 2018 and 2019.
“It’s great being back,” she said. “We’ve been through a lot, and it’s great to play with my teammates one last time, bonding and having some fun. I think we will have a good day tomorrow and come back and have a good round. ”
Competing as individuals, Hallie Kuhns of Lake Travis finished the first round tied for 20th with a 4-over 76 while Round Rock’s Jiyu Han finished the first round tied for 29th with a 5-over 77.
Georgetown, Anderson finish first round in middle of pack at 5A tournament
In the Class 5A girls state tournament at White Wing Golf Club in Georgetown, Anderson finished the first round with a fifth-place score of 315 while Cedar Park enters the final round in ninth place with a 329.
Frisco Lebanon Trail (300), Boerne Champion (303), Alamo Heights (304) and Montgomery (304) engaged in a heated battle at the top of the leaderboard.
Georgetown senior Mattingly Palmer, competing as an individual, fired a first-round score of even-par 72 to tie for sixth. Lebanon Trail’s Summer Lee and Granbury’s Mason Lewis share the lead with a 4-under 68.