Ott recovers, fires 72

Casey Ott bogeyed her first two holes at The Greens at North Hills in Sherwood on Tuesday. She rebounded quite nicely. The Conway junior, who captured the Overall title in 2015, finished Tuesday's round in the first day of the Class 7A girls state golf tournament with an even-par 72. Ott holds a three-shot lead over North Little Rock's Hannah Bakalekos and Bentonville's Kate Robertson going into today's final 18 holes. "If you hit a good shot here, it's easy to make a birdie," Ott said. "But if you hit a bad shot, it's easy to hit a bogey or worse. You've just got to hit good shots and hope they work out." Conway's team score of 242 earned the Lady Wampus Cats the 7A-Central Conference title and puts them in prime position for a state title. Rogers held off Bentonville, 254-255, for the 7A-West Conference crown. Ott was 2-over through seven holes when she began to turn her game around. She birdied No. 8, a 408-yard par 5. She then hit back-to-back birdies on No. 11 (a 125-yard par 3) and No. 12 (a 436-yard par 5). "It was a rough start for me, but then I birdied No. 8, it kind of turned the round around," Ott said. "And then I birdie No. 11 and 12 and that got my momentum going again." Although Ott took a double bogey on No. 13, a 390-yard par 4, she got back to even par with a birdie on No. 16, a 306-yard par 4. "The greens are actually really nice," Ott said. "It's just that they're fast. If you don't get it in a good position, it's going to roll off. But if you hit a good putt, there's a good chance it's going to go in. The greens are fun to play." Robertson, a senior who finished sixth in the 2015 Class 7A tournament, is hoping to earn her trip to the Overall, which will be played Oct. 13 at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock. On Tuesday, Robertson closed with a flourish, scoring birdies on three of her final four holes. "I just imagined the par 5s as par 4s and hit my drives in the middle of the fairway," said Robertson, who started Tuesday's round on No. 10. "I had a good short game today. ... I birdied No. 6 (a 449-yard par 5) and that was a good turn-around hole for me. It led me into a good mindset for the next couple of holes." Robertson's 75 was two shots better than last season's Class 7A medalist Brooke Mathews of Rogers. Ott, Robertson, Bakalekos and Mathews were the only golfers to score in the 70s on Tuesday. "Brooke is capable of going low, so I have people chasing me and I love being in that position," Ott said. "I love the pressure and I'm excited for [the second round]." Today's round is expected to start at 9:30 a.m.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Conway High School Athletics

OTT RECOVERS, FIRES 72

TIM COOPER

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | 10/28/2016