After Columbus Academy freshman Eva Lim chipped from 88 yards to within 2 feet of the hole on No. 18 during the first round of the Division II girls golf state tournament, teammate Angela Hu said, “Way to go, ‘school record’ ” while Lim walked to the green.
Hu’s nickname for Lim refers to the latter’s 65 during a tournament in late August, but as it turned out, a lot more was on the line with every shot Lim and her teammates took Friday.
Lim’s round of 5-over par 75 highlighted a balanced day for the Vikings, who shot a 307 at Ohio State’s Gray Course to take a four-shot lead over Sugarcreek Garaway and set by three shots a tournament record for best round.
Academy will try to clinch its second consecutive state title Saturday.
“I’m thrilled,” said Lim, who is tied for fourth individually. “We have a good chance of pushing through (Saturday) and as long as we keep our heads together, we can do it. But I don’t want to jinx anything.”
Led by Paige Weiss’ 77, Westfall is tied for ninth (365) with Van Buren.
Weiss and Lakewood senior Avery Thompson are in a five-way tie for seventh place that also includes Academy seniors Sydney Fortney and Hu. Junior Caroline Zeiger added a 78 for the Vikings.
No other teams are within 43 shots of Academy or Garaway entering Saturday, when conditions are expected to be considerably different after overnight rain and with temperatures 10 to 15 degrees cooler than Friday.
Playing from the No. 4 spot, Fortney — who negated a four-putt on No. 9 with a par on the next hole — carded a career-best round by four shots.
“Last year, I was playing for my spot on the team and I worked very hard this summer to better my game,” Fortney said. “If we didn’t play well today, that could (decide) the state tournament. It feels really good to contribute. I know I’m a good golfer and I had to have confidence in that.”
The previous Division II record was set by Lima Central Catholic in 2010.
New Albany holds the record regardless of division with a 282 during the 2019 Division I tournament.
“I’m very pleased with how we played and tomorrow will be a different day, so we’ll work with what we have,” Academy coach Maggie Freytag said. “The state tournament, this environment, is stressful, but we had to relax and try to have fun.”
Although Friday was Weiss’ highest round of this season, the senior topped her best round from last year’s tournament by eight shots.
“I always try to come in and just stay calm, not be too worried about this being the state tournament and just try to play my own game,” Weiss said.
Freshman Michelle Pickett (95) and juniors Marianna Packer and Caroline Sever (both 97) rounded out Westfall’s scoring.
Mustangs coach Jonathan Barker estimated his team shot between 380 and 390 in a practice round Thursday.
“Having two newcomers to the lineup and see us almost match our scores from last year (when they shot 363 and 364 at state), I couldn’t ask for more,” Barker said. “Whenever we step into competition, they seem to flip a switch. Everybody struggles to play their best when they’re not right in front of competition, so things were a little easier for us today.”
Thompson finished strong in her first state round, overcoming bogeys on Nos. 16 and 17 with a birdie on No. 18.
“I tried to stay focused and I definitely did at the end,” Thompson said. “I hit that late stretch where my putting wasn’t very good, but my driver was pretty good today.”
Shaker Heights Laurel’s Siena Maschke holds the individual lead (70).
dpurpura@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: OHSAA girls golf: Columbus Academy takes four-shot lead at state