Burnet girls golf has best finish at state

CAPTION: Senior Avery Gowin shows the Bulldog fight Burnet is known for. Staff photos by Jennifer Fierro

The Burnet High School girls golf team finished seventh at the Class 4A state tournament May 4-5 at the Legends Golf Course and Villas in Kingsland.

The Lady Dawgs scored a 354-358–712. They were paced by freshman Chloe Shannon, who shot an 80-85–165 to finish 20th in the individual standings. Cambria Neenan was 22nd thanks to scoring an 89-77–166, while Avery Gowin finished with a 94-89–183 for 40th overall and Kristine Rodriguez scored a 91-107–198 for 54th overall. All three are seniors.

“Historical is the best way to sum it up,” head coach Carter Carruthers said. “This is the best girls golf team from a finishing standpoint that’s ever played at Burnet High School. They finished higher than any squad ever in Burnet High School history. They made history for themselves, and I want them to be remembered for that.”

This was the first time all four played at the state tournament. After the first day, the Lady Dawgs were fifth.

“Both Chloe and Cambria played well,” Carruthers said. “I think Chloe went eight over on day one and Cambria was maybe five over on day two. Both played really, really well for one day then kind of struggled the other day.”

He was equally pleased with Rodriguez’s play.

“Kristine did her job,” he said. “We needed her to be right there. She shot 91 the first day and staying right there competitive with the other teams’ (fourth and fifth golfers). That was good.”

The coach credited Gowin for her toughness, noting she battled illness throughout the tournament. She showed her dedication and willingness to compete to ensure Burnet earned a team score and a top 10 finish. A squad must have four golfers to earn a team score.

“I was feeling proud of her for going out there and playing and giving everything she had,” he said. “Very, very thankful.”

CAPTION: Kristine Rodriguez did her part for her teammates. 

Carruthers noted the setting at the state tournament is unlike any other. The University Interscholastic League ropes off the course, clearly marking where spectators can stand to watch. Fans may follow the golfer they are cheering for from hole to hole and it’s not unusual to have dozens of people doing that. The UIL also has spotters all over the course to help golfers find their balls in order to keep the round moving efficiently.

“I don’t think the environment and the amount of people there kind of affected our girls really at all,” he said. “But it is true – there’s way more spectators, UIL officials are way more than they are at a normal tournament that is being hosted by a school.”

And then there’s the pins themselves.

“(The UIL) moves the pins to make some holes harder and the tee boxes, too,” the coach said. “They move some tee boxes back, so it plays longer.”

He noted some holes are already difficult, but when the pins are moved on those same holes, the ante has been raised a little more. That’s what happened at No. 3, a par-5 hole that’s always challenging. The pin was in the far back right of the green for the state tournament on the second day.

“A lot of girls were struggling with that as is and so then you’re adding another 20 yards to the pin,” Carruthers said. “Because in the far back right of the green, they’re teeing off from a little bit farther than they usually would. It played really, really tough. Not every one of them, but they’re selective about where they put the pin on every one of them.”

He noted Burnet made it a point to play the course often to be as prepared as possible.

“We play district (tournaments) at Legends, and we try to play as many tournaments out at Legends as we can just to be super familiar with the course,” he said. “The conditions, the way it plays at state, it just plays so much harder at state than it does any other time. You can know the golf course really well, but playing it at the yardages that (UIL officials) have at state is really tough.”

CAPTION: Senior Cambria Neenan had an excellent second round to post the lowest score for the Lady Dawgs.