5A, 6A girls golf: Long leads young Lone Peak to repeat; Skyline clinches 1st title

RIVERTON — Once again, medalist honors at the 6A state girls golf tournament on Tuesday came down to two Lone Peak golfers, but this time, the duelists weren't sisters.

Get used to hearing the names Aadyn Long and Saydie Wagner for a while, though.

Sophomore standout Long shot 4-under-par 68 to finish with a two-day total of 2-under 142, and freshman Wagner added a runner-up finish of 1-over 145 to help the Knights surge to a repeat as state champions at Riverbend Golf Course.

Adley Nelson, another sophomore, added a seventh-place finish for the Knights, who return all but one scoring golfer next year.

That's right; after Lone Peak won the state championship by 57 strokes over second-place Corner Canyon, almost every golfer will be back next year — including Long and Wagner, who have both competed nationally on the drive, chip and putt circuit at Augusta National Golf Club.

"She's always played in big events," Lone Peak coach Derek Farr said of Wagner. "Her personality is one where she just kind of relaxes and goes. She's a fierce competitor, though, and nothing is too big for her. … She played well, and Aadyn played well. It was fun to watch."

Wagner, the Region 4 medalist during the regular season, took a one-shot lead after the first round, shooting 1-under 71 as Lone Peak took three of the top-five placements to shoot a team-best 306 and enjoy a 25-stroke lead over the field.

American Fork's Lily Shin was just one shot back after 18 holes. But the two leaders started slow Tuesday, with Wagner shooting 2-over through 1 and Shin going 1-over through 12, to let Long and Weber's Remi Rawlings back into the hunt.

Long, the younger sister of BYU freshman and reigning state medalist Berlin Long from a year ago, carded eagle on the par-5, 465-yard sixth hole for 34 on the front nine. The sophomore hit driver-hybrid within 30 feet on the par-5, 465-yard hole, then drained a sliding, downhill putt for eagle that propelled her into a back nine that included four birdies and two bogeys.

"I hit it with good speed, picked out a line, and just went with it," Long said. "That was kind of a turning point, and it gave me a little bit of room to be aggressive and get after it."

Long was 2-under midway through the back after escaping with a birdie sandwiched between two bogeys, then birdied the final three holes to pull away for good.

"I think my focus was where the biggest change was. I was able to just focus, go shot-by-shot, and try to hit one shot good and go to the next," Long said. "I think I just said, alright, it's time to kick it into gear. I had to go make some putts. … I told myself to trust my putter. My putter is good, and I was able to just trust it."

Shin and Weber's Remi Rawlings finished tied for third, followed by Hunter Gledhill, who was just one stroke off Long's low round of the day for fifth.

And even if Wagner didn't claim medalist honors, the 15 year old knows she still has three chances to win an individual title.

She just has to contend with a teammate barely one year older most of the way — and plenty of other contenders. Only one golfer in the top 10 is graduating, and the top-seven will all return next year.

"I'm honestly so glad that Aadyn won; I might have been upset if it were anyone else," she said with a laugh. "But I'm glad it was my teammate."

Lam leads Skyline girls to first 5A golf title

Skyline's Ashley Lam won the Eagles' first individual golf title Tuesday afternoon, shooting 4-under 68 to run away with an 11-under 133 at Remuda Golf Course in Farr West.

But the junior isn't going alone.

The Eagles added top-20 finishes from Tegan Halloran and Avery Kraatz to hold off three-time defending champion Timpview by five strokes at the 5A state championship.

Lam and Timpview's Emma Lillywhite, who finished second with an even-par 72, were the only two golfers to shoot under par in Monday's first round, with Lam securing six birdies and an eagle with one bogey to take a five-shot lead at the top of the leaderboard.

Lillywhite tried to make up ground early with a pair of opening-nine birdies. But Lam responded with birdies on four of the final five holes en route to 4-under 32 on the front nine and cruised to the finish, shooting 4-under on the day to help the Eagles to their first title in program history.

Timpview sophomore Seneti Toluta'u added a third-place finish for the Thunderbirds, followed by Wasatch's Ellie Olsen and Spanish Fork's Katelin Bingham.

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