Birdie on 17 sends Champ on to regional (09/19/05)

BLUFFTON — The back nine was no walk in the park. But when she had to stroll in the sand, Trisha Champ made the most of it.

Champ hit a beautiful shot out of a green-side bunker on the 17th hole at Timber Ridge Golf Course Saturday, the key shot as she posted a 90 and advanced to regional play.

She tied with Heather Hendrickson of Fort Wayne Bishop Luers for the third-best score on a team which didn’t advance. Only the top three and ties move on.

“Seventeen was a big relief,” said Champ, who had played the first seven holes of the back nine at 11-over-par before recording her only birdie of the day. “ It just kind of helped me breathe.

“It feels good. I’m glad I got out. My goal was to get out of regional, and if I hadn’t gotten out of sectional I would’ve been upset.”

Jay County finished ninth out of 11 teams, scoring a 465. Homestead was first with 353, and will be joined in regional play by Norwell (361) and Fort Wayne Concordia (362).

Bishop Luers, which finished fourth at 365, got two golfers out as Kristi O’Brien earned medalist honors with a 76 and Hendrickson tied with Champ. Heather Roush of Southern Wells also advanced with an 87.

They will play in the East Noble Regional at Noble Hawk Golf Links in Kendallville Saturday at 10:15 a.m.

Champ was in great position after a 41 on the first nine holes, but struggled on the back and needed to go par-bogey on 17 and 18 in order to tie Hendrickson for the final regional qualifying spot.

She unloaded a 260-yard drive on the 17th, leaving herself just 130 to the green on the 389-yard, par-5 hole. Her second shot was the right distance, but slid off to the right and was left sitting pin-high in a bunker on the right side of the green.

Unfazed, Champ hit a near-perfect shot out of the trap, leaving her ball within two feet of the cup. She dropped the birdie putt, all-but securing a regional berth.

“It was a great drive and a great chip,” said JCHS coach Tom Ferguson. “It definitely took the pressure of her.”

Champ’s drive on the 222-yard, par-4 18th hole sliced into a pond on the right side of the fairway, but after taking a drop she was able to put her third shot on the green. She three-putted from there to match Hendrickson and earn a trip to Kendallville.

“I think it’s great,” said Ferguson. “She scored six strokes better than last year and didn’t play (her best).

“She’s really improved, there’s no doubt about it. She’s very capable of going to regional next week and shooting an 80.”

Champ got off to a solid start with all bogeys and pars — including three consecutive pars on Nos. 4, 5 and 6 — on the opening seven holes.

She had her lone hiccup on the front with a double-bogey on the par-3 eighth hole, but bounced back for a par on the 338-yard, par-4 ninth for her 41.

Her struggles on the back started after she shanked a shot into the water on the 115-yard, par-3 11th hole. She ended up taking triple-bogey and suffered double-bogeys on the 449-yard, par-5 14th and the 331-yard, par-4 16th.

But, the sophomore came up big when she needed to win the birdie on 17.

“It is so much more a mental game than physical,” said Champ. “After I did that on No. 11 I got it in my head and it just kind of stuck there until 17. And I wasn’t getting any breaks like I was on the front.”

The highlight of the day outside of Champ’s second straight trip to the regional was a brilliant front nine turned in by junior Alissa McMillan.

McMillan, the only three-year golfer on the team, was 9-over-par for the first four holes before putting together the best stretch of her career. She racked up three consecutive pars on the 368-yard, par-5 fifth, the 112-yard, par-3 sixth and the 424-yard, par-5 seventh.

After a triple-bogey on No. 8 she bounced back to bogey the ninth hole to break 50. Her 49 on the front nine was by far the best nine-hole round of her career. Her top previous score was a 55.

“Alissa is very excited and should be,” said Ferguson. “She hasn’t been playing the best golf, (but today) she had three pars in a row. For her, that’s just tremendous golf.”

McMillan added one bogey on the back nine and finished with Jay County’s No. 2 score, a 113.

Ashley Bunch got off to a rough start and posted a 68 on the front nine. She came back with a couple of bogeys to finish with a 59 on the back for a 127.

Brittany Lewis rounded out the team score with a 135 as the Patriots dropped to ninth after placing fifth last season. Miranda Denney shot 139.[[In-content Ad]]