Girls golf: Dixon’s Katie Drew qualifies for state for fourth time

LANARK – Eleven Sauk Valley area golfers competed in the Class 1A Eastland Sectional at Lake Carroll Golf Course on Monday.

After an 18-hole round and nearly 10 hours of competition, only one remains.

Dixon senior Katie Drew punched her ticket to the IHSA Class 1A State Tournament in Decatur this weekend by carding a 78 – a score that tied Latin’s Maggie Zeiger for second place.

Chicago U-High’s Amelia Tan was the only golfer in a field of 107 who fared better, firing a 3-under-par 69 for medalist honors.

For Drew, it’s the fourth time qualifying for state as a high school golfer, and it will be her third trip to Decatur this weekend.

“Freshman year I qualified, but due to COVID, they didn’t have it,” Drew said. “So I played sophomore year down there and I played junior year, so I’m excited to come back for my third year down there.”

Drew was satisfied with her performance in the sectional but hopes to build on it this weekend in her final competition as a Dixon High School golfer.

“It was a solid round of golf. Obviously, there were highs and lows, but overall I’m happy enough with a 78 and hoping that this weekend will go well,” Drew said. “Every hole there was something a little different that was good. Everything was working well. I wouldn’t say anything was great, but nothing was terrible either. So I was able to put together a pretty consistent round of golf.”

The competition for individual qualifiers was tough. The lowest qualifying score was an 88.

Dixon tied fifth out of 12 teams with a score of 383. Also competing for the Duchesses, who placed second in Thursday’s 1A Byron Regional, were Reese Dambman (98), Zoey Williams (101), Tya Collins (106), Kiana Olalde (108) and Saida Bajrami (129).

Forreston’s Hannah Harvey shot a 96 and Aspen McGlynn shot a 98.

Oregon’s Aniyah Sarver carded a 97 and Sarah Eckardt shot a 113.

Newman’s Ellie Rude tallied a 102.