KHS girls claim Elk City title

Five of the top-10 teams in Class 4A battled windy elements Monday at the Elk City Golf and Country Club.

Turns out No. 1 was much better than the rest.

Top-ranked Kingfisher had three golfers finish among the top-four individuals to easily win the Elk City Invitational girls golf tournament.

Maddi Kamas was the medalist as she shot a 1-over par 71.

Senior teammates Olivia Wilcox and Katey Brickman delivered career outings, however.

Wilcox fired a 91 to finish second and Brickman’s 96 was good to tie her for fourth place.

Kari Shepard finished at 104 and freshman Kylie Hood at 107 to give KHS a 362.

That was 28 strokes better than the host Elk City, which is No. 3 in Class 4A, according to the latest ossaarankings.com coaches’ poll.

Tuttle was third with a 408 and Weatherford fourth at 430. They’re ranked No. 6 and No. 9, respectively.

“The girls have been working so hard on their game and I’m so happy to see it paying off,” KHS coach Audra Smalley said.

Monday’s weather featured a south wind of 25 miles per hour with gusts reaching higher.

“To see the girls play some of their best golf in that wind is very encouraging,” Smalley said.

That includes Wilcox and Brickman, who have worked to break that 100-stroke barrier in competition.

“They had their best rounds ever and it’s amazing to think they started playing two years ago when I stole them from softball,” said Smalley, also a fastpitch softball assistant in the fall.

Smalley said Hood and Shepard had slip-ups “on a couple of holes” or they would have joined the others in double-digits.

Then there’s Kamas, the likely favorite to win the 4A individual state title this year.

“Her round was crazy good, especially in the wind,” Smalley said.

However, it’s also Kamas’ role off the course that could help bring some team hardware to KHS by season’s end.

“She is always such an encouraging force on our team,” Smalley said. “That’s part of what makes her a great leader.”