Before the KingCo 4A golf season began, the Newport girls team had one big goal – to snap the four-year long winning streak of the Redmond Mustangs.
Instead, the Knights lost a heartbreaker by just one stroke when they hosted Redmond late last month.
Wednesday, they got a taste of revenge.
Nicole Lomax shot a two-day score of 161 to finish first and help Newport capture the team title at the 4A District 2 Tournament, held at Snohomish Golf Course last night.
Newport beat Redmond by 15 points and qualified five golfers for the state tournament, almost half the spots allocated for KingCo.
“It was a great way to end the season,” said Newport coach Frank Nimmo. “To get this tangible win was huge for us and it was big for the girls.”
Newport scored 81 points to Redmond’s 66 for the team win. The Mustangs qualified four golfers for the state tournament, held at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco on May 25-26.
“I feel like we finally got the monkey off our back,” Nimmo said about beating the Mustangs. “I feel like we’re over the hump.”
Lomax captured the individual title, shooting a 79 on day one and an 82 on day two.
“That was big for her because she had a couple of bad rounds in the middle of the season,” Nimmo said. “She really turned it around and to come back and win was big for her. When tournament time comes, she picks her game up.”
Newport’s Isabel Chien (fourth) and Jessica Kent (ninth) both qualified for state as freshman. Chien shot a 165 while Kent shot a 172. Kent was able to rebound from a day one score of 90, the highest single day score of any state qualifier. She shot an 82 on day two.
“For her to rebound like that and sneak in, that shows you what she’s made of,” Nimmo said. “For us to qualify two freshman, that just shows you how our program is competitive now and it also bodes well for the future.”
Also qualifying were seniors Jamie Kirsila (10th) and Katie O’Neill (11th), daughter of Newport assistant coach Todd O’Neill.
“For her to make it as a senior, he was on cloud nine,” Nimmo said. “For Jamie Kirsila, she’s been so close for two years now, making at a senior was great.”
Chien’s brother Kevin Chien qualified for the boys tournament, held at Canyon Lakes Golf Course in Kennewick the same weekend.
Before the team departs for the tournament, they’ll get together with their rivals one last time: Nimmo said the team has invited Redmond to Newcastle Golf Course for a friendly practice round.
“We owe Redmond a lot of credit for pushing us to our highest level,” Nimmo said. “They really are a class team and I have a lot of respect for them.”
