Friday Harbor junior Megan Cuomo tied for 13th at the 1A State Golf Tournament at Columbia Point in Richland, Wednesday. Friday Harbor senior Tyler McKee capped his prep career with a 31st-place finish.
Cuomo, who went to the tournament as an alternate and got to play when another golfer called in sick, carded a 91 Wednesday, a one-stroke improvement over Tuesday’s opening round. She finished with a combined 183.
Kelli Bowers of Chelan won her fourth consecutive state title, shooting 84 on Tuesday and 70 Wednesday for a combined 154. She finished one stroke ahead of Alyssa Maine of Freeman and 11 strokes ahead of No. 3 Alex Howells of Cascade Christian.
Cuomo shook off a bloody nose and rain on the front nine, continued through the day with decent approach shots and long putts that got her within a couple of inches of the hole. She birdied the 179-yard, par 3 No. 15.
“I hit the ball well,” Cuomo said. “There were a couple of holes that got me, but I’m happy with the way I played. Next year will be a lot better.”
It was Cuomo’s third consecutive appearance at State. She placed ninth her freshman year and sixth her sophomore year.
McKee was pleased with his performance — his combined score of 159 was a five-stroke improvement over his performance last year, when he finished 41st here. He shot 79 on Wednesday, a one-stroke improvement over Tuesday’s opening round.
“I had a lot of birdies, unlike yesterday,” McKee said. “I had four today. I played a lot smarter and went for things I usually wouldn’t.”
Zach Wanderschied of Goldendale finished with an 8-under 136, matching his 2009 performance for his second consecutive state title. He finished one stroke ahead of Minwoo Park of Highland, and three strokes ahead of No. 3 Ross Kukula of Ilwaco.
McKee will likely golf for Walla Walla Community College next year; the Walla Walla golf coach was at Columbia Point and followed McKee for a couple of holes.
McKee wants to ultimately be a golf pro at a course “someplace nice and warm.”
“It’s kind of nice, actually,” he said as the sun set on his high school golf career. “I’ve got bigger and better things coming next year.”
— For scoring, choose 1A Boys or 1A Girls in the Tournament menu, then click Show Results.
