Madelein Herr won the SOL title Tuesday, and 11 SOL golfers advanced to the district tournament. To view photos of Tuesday’s action, please visit the Photo Gallery.\
By Ben Reese
GLENSIDE -- Perhaps the two most excited girls at the Suburban One League girls’ golf championship weren't the girls who finished first or second.
They were the two girls who finished right on the cut line, qualifying them for the District One tournament next week. They were two of the 11 girls to qualify for the next step in the pursuit of a PIAA championship.
Central Bucks South senior Emily Palmieri and sophomore Jordan Hughes of Pennsbury each shot 101, the cutoff to qualify for districts. It was just the right score despite being 28 strokes over par.
"I'm very thrilled to make it in my senior year here, very thrilled," Palmieri said. "Over the moon.
"(I'm) going to districts finally. It's only taken four years but I'm there."
Hughes echoed similar sentiments.
"It feels amazing," she said. "It's the first time I actually did a tournament and I actually did well so it's real exciting."
Hughes is also excited about getting to districts.
"(I'm) excited about that," said Hughes. "It should be fun. Any game of golf is fun."
Palmieri actually didn't realize that she had qualified for district play until she came off the 18th green.
"I always make it a point not to count my score because it psyches me out," she explained. "I didn't have a great feeling. I didn't play up to par, pun intended.
"I have a lot of activities going on, so practice hasn't been as easy to get to as it was during the summer. I didn't count my score and I'm just happy to make it."
The first two places were almost foregone conclusions. Council Rock North seniors Madelein Herr and Lauren Muhlbauer captured first and second respectively.
Herr shot an 8-over 81 and Muhlbauer was 15 over at 88. Third place went to Wissahickon senior Andrea Mazurek at 90.
For Herr, the last of the three Herr siblings to play for CR North, it was not a day to celebrate despite the victory.
"I just wish I had played a little bit better," she said. "I was hitting the ball well; I just could not putt at all.
"I wanted to go out and play well for myself and I wanted to go as low as I could but I just couldn't get myself to make any putts. I was trying to fix it out there but nothing was working for me."
Muhlbauer had her own problems on the course. She started her round off in disastrous fashion.
"I started off really badly," Muhlbauer said. "(I) doubled the first hole and then I took a quad on the second.
"I didn't start my day off well. I made up for it on the back."
What was the problem on those first two holes?
"I was skulling it," she said. "I was chunking a couple. I didn't make any putts when I needed to.
"I was hitting my driver really well. I didn't putt well at all.
"I don't think I hit many greens at all. During the front nine, I don't know how many three-putts I had, way too many."
Mazurek probably was more surprised than either of her fellow seniors in the top three. Her front nine was difficult for her.
"I expected it (qualifying), but with the way I was playing on the front, I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't make it because my game wasn't looking all that sharp," she said. "But on the back I just cleaned it up and worked with what was I getting and it worked out."
Only three other girls broke 100 on the day. Pennsbury's McKenzie Mix shot a 95 and Catherine Pfingst of Wissahickon and Abington's Victoria Monterosso both shot 99.
Three girls were at 100. They were Sophia Mancuso of Central Bucks East, Ally McFarland of North Penn and Wissahickon's Christea Park.
The most disappointed girl had to be CB East's Melanie Wetzel. She shot a 102 and missed the cut by one stroke.
Next up for the 11 girls will be the District One Tournament on Monday, Oct. 12, and Tuesday, Oct. 13. They will play at Gilbertsville Golf Club on Monday and then those that make the cut will play at Turtle Creek Golf Course on Tuesday.
SUBURBAN ONE LEAGUE GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP
LuLu Country Club, par 73
Madelein Herr, CR North (Sr) 81
Lauren Muhlbauer CR North (Sr) 88
Andrea Mazurel Wissahickon (Sr) 90
McKenzie Mix Pennsbury (Jr) 95
Catherine Pfingst Wissahickon (Jr) 99
Victoria Monterosso Abington (So) 99
Sophia Mancuso CB East (So) 100
Ally McFarland North Penn (Jr) 100
Christea Park Wissahickon (Fr) 100
Emily Palmieri CB South (Sr) 101
Jordan Hughes Pennsbury (So) 101
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MISSED CUT
Melanie Wetzel CB East (Jr) 102
Sarah Nugent CB East (So) 104
Grace Enright CB West (Fr) 105
Hailea Yocum North Penn (Sr) 116
Josie Genuardi North Penn (Fr) 119
Parker Bria Abington (So) 119
Mackenzie Cassidy Upper Moreland (Jr) 120
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