Dyar straight

Alexandria county girls champ again; White Plains’ Dyar wins playoff for medalist

By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today

The first time Layne Dyar played in the Calhoun County Girls High School Championship she never got to finish the round.

This year, everyone was staying around to watch her finish.

Dyar, a White Plains junior, tapped in a gimme for par on the first hole of sudden death Saturday to defeat Alexandria senior Katie Roberts for medalist honors at this year’s County Girls Championship at Pine Hill Country Club.

Roberts’ Valley Cubs won the team title — again — by seven shots over White Plains. The Cubs shot a final team round 238 for a 477 total, the Wildcats 246 for a 484 total.

White Plains went into the final round with a one-shot team lead and was effectively ahead by seven through the early holes Saturday. Two years ago the Wildcats finished second to Alexandria by 50 shots.

The Cubs counted Roberts’ 75, an 80 by Jordan Gregoria and Morgan Mayfield’s 83. The Wildcats counted Dyar’s 76, Morgan Prickett’s 84 and Raegan Thompson’s 86.

“In my two years it’s been (the most hotly contested) and I could see it on all of my girls’ faces, too; every shot was stressed,” Valley Cubs coach Scott Ginn said. “I think the girls just refused to lose. They played hard and they concentrated, and they worked hard to develop that.”

The playoff win was Dyar’s second over a Valley Cubs senior in 72 hours. She beat Gregoria on the second extra hole Thursday at a tournament in Cullman.

Gregoria, the two-time defending County champion signing with Jacksonville State on Wednesday, finished third here.

“I just knew what I needed to do going into the playoff,” Dyar said. “I really wanted to make a birdie, that was my goal. I just knew I need to play my game and just focus on my shots and nothing else besides my shots.

“I needed to play like I’ve been playing all day.”

Both playoff participants finished 36 holes of regulation at 7-over-par 153. Interestingly, that might have been the same one-round score Dyar would’ve posted on the second day of her first-ever County Championship in 2011. She was a seventh-grader taken off the Cane Creek course after 16 holes with 143 on the scorecard.

The two finalists said they didn’t know how the individual race was shaking out while they were playing, although Dyar had the information advantage because she finished first — some four holes ahead of Roberts.

Roberts sank a straight-on 12-foot putt for birdie on her final hole to force the playoff.

The duel for the top was a back and forth affair. Nos. 16 and 17 were pivotal for both players.

Dyar three-putted from eight feet on 16 to fall behind Roberts, playing four holes back. Then she ran in a 20-foot birdie putt from off the back of green on 17 to regain a share of the lead and parred 18 to finish.

“I didn’t even focus on any of that,” Dyar said. “My goal today was to make birdies. I didn’t make as many as I’d like to, but I knew I needed to putt well and I just need to make birdies, so when they told me to make birdie I was going to make a birdie.”

No sooner had she finished then Roberts bogeyed 14 to give Dyar the clubhouse lead. She bounced back with an 88-yard pitching wedge on 15 that set up a two-foot birdie putt to retie the lead.

Roberts then three-putted from eight feet for bogey on 16 to give back her share of the lead, before forcing the playoff with her clutch putt on 17.

Dyar was in the gallery to watch Roberts’ final four holes.

“I birdie 17 every time I play it, so making that putt was kind of like ‘OK, you’re good,’” Roberts said. “When everybody started cheering I just thought we had won the team. I wasn’t even worried about low individual.

“I started putting all my stuff away and Coach Ginn was like you’re not finished playing yet.”

In the playoff both players hit drives on the par-5 18th down the right side. Roberts’ second shot caught the tree and ricocheted left towards the woods. Dyar’s shot hit into the tree as well but kept going. Roberts laid out to her competitor’s ball in the fairway and both players’ hit approaches that landed just short of the elevated green.

Roberts’ pitch onto the green came up short. Dyar putted from her position and the ball nearly holed. It stopped three inches from the cup, setting up the winning tap-in.

“There’s never been any one more deserving than Layne Dyar,” White Plains coach Marcus Harrell said. “She is absolutely one of the hardest workers I’ve seen in my whole entire life. It’s not because she’s made to, it’s because she has a great desire and a great work ethic.”

Calhoun County Girls Championship
At Pine Hill CC
Final results

Team scores
Alexandria 239-238–477
White Plains 238-246–484
Donoho 294-282–576
Oxford 327-330–657
Jacksonville 369-351–720

Individual scores
(Top 15 All-County)
x-Layne Dyar, White Plains 77-76—153
Katie Roberts, Alexandria 78-75—153
Jordan Gregoria, Alexandria 80-80—160
Morgan Prickett, White Plains 78-84—162
Morgan Mayfield, Alexandria 81-83—164
Chloe Borders, JCA 87-78—165
Raegan Thompson, White Plains 83-86—169
Savannah Chaffin, Alexandria 85-86—171
Abby Stevens, Alexandria 85-88—173
Macey Pressley, White Plains 89-92—181
Taylor Snow, Alexandria 84-87—181
Madilyn Turner, Pleasant Val 93-92—185
Sarah Campbell, Donoho 96-89—185
Jordan Pope, Saks 91-95—186
Anna Marie Woodfin, Donoho 98-88—186
Hannah Dyar, White Plains 95-94—189
Olivia Parsons, Alexandria 90-100—191
Kayla Huckeba, Oxford 99-96—195
Keaton Beam, White Plains 95-108—203
Madison Huckaby, Donoho 100-105—205
Brylea Holden, Pleasant Val 100-106—206
Jacqueline Lopez, Anniston 109-108—217
Cheyenne James, Saks 108-112—220
Tia Collins, Saks 116-107—223
Morgan Patterson, Oxford 109-116—225
Maria Limberis, Jacksonville 116-110—226
Abbie Vingers, Sacred Heart 117-116—233
Candace Gagnon, Oxford 119-118—237
Caitlyn Roland, Jacksonville 120-125—245
Cassia Rissler, Ohatchee 130-115—245
Alexa Cunningham, Donoho 124-122—246
Celia Landers, Jacksonville 133-116—249
Cindy Lopez, Anniston 123-140—263
Autumn Arenth, Saks 137-134—271
x-won on first hole of sudden death

LEADERS SCORECARDS

PLAYER (ST) 453 345 445 37 444 435 345 36 73
Dyar (1) 543 454 546 40 344 535 435 36 76
Roberts (18) 443 345 544 36 464 444 436 39 75
Gregoria (1) 544 444 546 40 444 445 366 40 80
Prickett (17) 463 455 646 43 455 545 436 41 86

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