The Marion Athletic Conference golf tournament was set for 18 holes on a warm late September afternoon, but Hurricane Helene had other plans. Due to the ensuing storm, the tournament was cut to nine holes on Wednesday, adding twice the pressure for Marion County’s high school golfers.
A soaked crowd of golfers huddled into the clubhouse to find Forest High School boys and girls teams atop the final standings when the shower subsided, while familiar faces won individual titles at the event.
Vanguard’s Zach Phan, a two-time champion from his sophomore and freshman seasons, shot a mind-blowing 32 to win the date. His four under-par day is nothing to scoff at. Neither is a five stroke difference between Phan and Fest’s pair of second place finishers Taylor Galavis and Owen Sahajpal.
“I won it my sophomore to get back up here feels good,” said Phan. “I’m good friends with most of the kids on Forest, so it’s a friendly competition, so beating them is kind of fun.”
![Vanguard High Schoolās Zach Phan reacts to missing a putt on #4. The Boys and Girls MCIAC Golf tournament was held at Ocala Golf Club in Ocala, Fla. Wednesday afternoon, September 25, 2024. Because of Hurricane Helene, both boys and girls only played nine holes. [Doug Engle/Ocala Star Banner]2024](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/9hpW20Vz_Gtfq1uLqOup2Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTEwOTE-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/ocala-star-banner/5104872185727bf15363fb68dbf602a1)
While Forest took its thirteenth county title in a row, Phan’s four birdies paced Vanguard Knights’ boys golf to a second-place finish. North Marion took a surprising third place finish with Brandon Keen scoring a team-high and tied for fifth-best in county with a 43.
The top girls golfer in the county is Haley Davis, who captured her second county title. While the FSU golf commit wasn’t proud of her 38, it was enough to win the event by seven holes. Belleview senior Lindsey Reimsnyder and Forest junior Olivia Robles shot a 45.
“It’s great to come back and play again. It was kind of up and down, but I’m glad to get a win, and I’m glad to be back,” Davis said.
This is the fourth year in a row that Forest boys and girls have swept the county titles. We have the results from our champions match below:
MAC Golf Tournament results
Individual winners
Boys1 Zach Phan 322 Taylor Galavis 373 Owen Sahajpal 374 Xavier Sahajpal 385 Carsen Spell 39
Girls1 Haley Davis 382 Olivia Robles 453 Lindsey Reimsnyder4 Kara Griggs 465 Caroline Davis 46
Team Standings
Boys1 Forest2 Vanguard3 North Marion4 Belleview5 Dunnellon
Girls1 Forest2 Vanguard3 North Marion4 Belleview5 West Port
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Zach Phan, Haley Davis win individual Marion County golf titles
