Howey-In-The-Hills — It was a punch-out shot on hole 14 for McKeel golfer Ava Bustos that was the most pivotal shot of the day on the biggest day of the year for all golfers.
Bustos, competing in the 2023 Class 2A Girls State Championship at Las Colinas, just had a tee shot that hit the trees. When the junior got to her shot, McKeel head golf coach Jeremy Bohnenstiehl said to her that her only option was to punch out between a very small gap in the trees. She obliged and practiced for the shot.
Bustos would go on to punch out perfectly, right where Bohnenstiehl suggested, as the ball rolled into the fairway, which led to Bustos having a perfect approach shot into the green. It was shots like this that helped the girls’ golf team place fifth as a team thanks to an overall score of 654 in two days. Bustos herself placed 37th.
“I am very proud of how good my team did this year,” Bustos said. “We had no scores in the 90s both days which is a huge accomplishment as a team. We beat our score from last year by about 30 strokes and placed two better as well. This was my fourth year coming to states as a junior and I love seeing (the) team improve as the years go on.
“As a team we all played very well, and we all gave it our best. We are all very supportive of each other and we insist on watching our players finish each and every match. We all practice together, even outside of the golf season and we teach each other tips to use on the golf course. …”
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McKeel’s Susie Davis shot a 164 compared to a 188 last year in a two-day span. Georgia Spence shot a 168, which is better than last year’s 188. And McKeel’s Caroline DeKalb registered a 161 compared to a 171 last season.
Still, it was Bustos who led the way for McKeel. On Day 1 she shot a 76, which was her best score from any 18-hole tournament in 2023.
“I’m extremely proud for each of them as they played together and for one another,” Bohnenstiehl said. “From last year to this year, we as a team shaved off 36 strokes which is incredible. … I’m so very happy for each of these young ladies and I’m excited to see what next year has in store.”
Heading into next season, Bustos said she knows what she needs to work on.
“The pin placements were incredibly difficult today and it took me a while to figure out how the greens were moving,” Bustos said. “Now, I know what I need to work on.”
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: McKeel earns 5th in state golf
