A 3-over start would not deter Emi Ledford from reaching her final goal.
The East Carter junior rebounded during her trip around the course at Eagle’s Nest Country Club in Somerset. She eventually carded an 81 in the State First Round Tournament and qualified for the final round next week in Bowling Green.
East Carter coach Greg Cherry said it displayed the determination that Ledford plays with every day.
“It goes to show you how tough, motivated and disciplined she is,” Cherry said. “Emi could have let that first hole yesterday get her down and think about her finish at the region tournament. But she pushed through and fought as hard as I’ve seen her fight. I was so proud of her.”
Cherry said Ledford was closing in on a top score at the Region 12 Tournament last week in Mount Sterling. She carded an eight on her last hole, a par-4, but still claimed second place. Ledford advanced to the state final round for the fourth straight year. She has the experience to overcome adversity and showed her perseverance again on Tuesday. She went out at 42 over the first nine holes but carded birdies at No. 10 and 12 to close at 39 on the back side.
“The key was her toughness,” Cherry said. “I talked to her about the next hole. Don’t think about the last one. The first hole was a par-3 and she started with a double bogey. She really had to grind it out for the rest of the round. She’s great at that. After nine holes, we talked about just relaxing. She comes to the turn and goes out and birdes 10 and 12. She didn’t let that first hole get to her.”
Ledford will have several area golfers join her in Bowling Green. Rowan County’s Athena Singh played in the same group as Ledford and also recorded a double bogey on the first hole. The three-time Region 12 champion regrouped to post five birdies on the day to finish with a 72 (1-over) for second place.
Boyd County’s Morgan Kennedy dropped in four birdies and responded to a double bogey on No. 17 with a birdie on her closing hole to post a third-place result with a 73 (2-over).
West Carter’s Kinzie Kilgore joins the quartet in the state final after an 81.
Boyd County coach Missy Kennedy said the back nine at Eagle’s Nest was playing harder than the front. Opening her round with six straight pars and then a birdie on the seventh hole got Morgan’s round going.
“I think that fired her up a little bit,” Missy Kennedy said. “She bogeyed No. 9 so she went through the first nine at even par. She felt really good. Our goal is to work hard the entire season and we wanted to get to State for the sixth time. At the beginning of the year, and with Morgan especially since she is one of our better players, I stopped focusing on scoring. We focused more on finishes. At our tournaments, we can see how big the field is and we can focus on a top-five or a top-ten finish.”
Morgan Kennedy has reached the state final round in each of her six varsity seasons. Sharing the experience with her area and region competitors along with her Lions teammates, who advanced to State as a group for the third straight year, makes it more special.
Along with the four individuals, Montgomery County will represent Region 12 as a team qualifier after a third-place finish.
“I think it’s awesome and I’m a huge fan of all our eastern Kentucky girls,” Missy Kennedy said. “Yesterday, when Montgomery County walked up to get their third-place award, I yelled, ‘Region 12!’ We tend to be a little bit of an underdog because we are a small region when it comes to how many golfers we have in our area. To have a team and all these individuals going, it’s great. All of our Region 12 girls will play together in a practice round this week.”
Ledford is the only current East Carter girls player but loves to compete and share the state spotlight with her Region 12 golf family.
“It shows the kind of person Emi is (on and off the course),” Cherry said. “She’s also a cheerleader so she has that group she can surround herself with there. When it comes to golf, she has that mental drive and focus. She practices on her own too. She has really worked to take her game to the next level.”
Madison Central claimed the girls title, winning by 11 strokes over second-place Lexington Christian.
The top three teams and the top 15 individuals not on team qualifiers advance to the state final round.
On the boys side, Rowan County’s Will Jones and Christian Parker will move on to Bowling Green. Each golfer tallied a 73 in Somerset on Wednesday. The Vikings fell just one stroke shy of forcing a playoff for a team spot on the final state stage. Fleming County’s Seth Hickerson carded a 75 to earn an individual qualifying spot in the final round next week.
Madison Central, Frederick Douglass and Pulaski County earned team spots in the final round of the state tournament.
Full results from the State First Round Tournaments can be found at khsaa.org.
