By Ben Reese
YORK: Sometimes, getting angry on the golf course can work out OK.
At least, that's the way Erica Herr can look at it today after winning the PIAA state girls golf championship at Heritage Hills Golf Resort and Conference Center.
The Council Rock North sophomore shot a final-round 76 to go with her first-round 74 for a 150 total. That put her five strokes ahead of second-place finisher Jackie Rogowicz of Pennsbury.
She finished the front nine in even-par 36 after birdieing the par-5 second hole and bogeying the par-3 fifth.
Then the trouble set in. Herr bogied the first three holes on the back nine, cutting her once-four-stroke lead down.
“Out on the course, after the first few holes, I kind of knew where we were standing,” Erica said. “I was picking up strokes here and there.
“And then, when we made the turn at the back, I guess I got it into my head that 'Gosh, this is so easy,' where it's not; it's not so easy.
“And I started dropping strokes. But I pulled myself together and I came back.”
Indeed she did. She parred the 13th hole and birdied the 14th to get back in the groove.
“I think I was trying too hard,” she explained. “I put way too much pressure on myself. And, after I made the birdie, I pulled myself back together.”
It was obvious to even the less-than-interested spectator that Erica was not pleased with herself. She would stalk from green to tee box to fairway to green without speaking to anyone.
“I was pretty mad,” she said. “Usually, I'll be slapping my leg or something (to try to calm down). Things started to get worse, so I calmed down and started playing my own game.
“(The birdie after three straight bogies) was huge. It was probably the turning point in my round.
“If I don't birdie, I don't think I would have finished the way I did.”
Erica had a bit of luck thrown in to help her on her way. On the 13th hole, she hit a shot from the fairway which hit in the greenside bunker but bounced out and onto the green. She rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt to regain her composure.
“You need a little bit of luck out there to win,” she said with a smile. “I mean, I thought my shot on the last hole went in the water but it didn't.”
Her third shot from the fairway on the par-5 18th was hit a bit far and appeared headed for the pond in front of the green. But fate stepped in and stuck it on the bank right in front of the green, giving her a chance to get up and down for her par.
Her brother Zach knows about Erica's ability to gather herself when times get tough. He has seen it many times.
“She lets herself get to herself,” Zach said, “but she has a way of getting over it. Once it gets going, once it gets to rock bottom, she can build it back up and get it back to where it was before. She has the ability to do that and not many people have that.”
Erica knew what she had to do when the going got tough. And she went out and did it.
“I've been in this position before,” she said. “You don't want to put too much pressure on yourself because the more you put on yourself, the worse it gets.”
However, despite all the bad things that happened early on the back nine, it was the finish that had Erica going.”
This is really, honestly the greatest feeling I've ever had,” She said. “(On the 18th hole) I thought that if I miss this putt (for par) it's OK, but I would have wanted to end it with a par. When I made that last putt, I was relieved.”
She also knows that, as a sophomore, she has two more chances to take the state title.
“I'll just have to work even harder because I want to come back and see if I can prove myself again next year,” Erica said.
In addition to Rogowicz's second-place finish, Central Bucks West's Lily Gordon shot a second-round 88 and finished tied for 22nd at 180.
“It's great to just be here,” Gordon said. “It is such an honor.”
Zach Herr had to overcome his 79 in Monday's round if he wanted to contend for the boys’ title. The Council Rock North junior shot a 73 and finished at 152, just enough for a medal along with T.J. Summers of Central Bucks West. The West senior shot a 79 on Tuesday after an opening round of 73 to finish at 152 as well.
Wissahickon sophomore Jalen Griffin finished tied for 19th at 156 after a second straight 78.
“Yesterday wasn't good,” Zach said. “I was a little nervous starting off the first six (holes) and it showed. I was 7-over through six. I kind of got it back together and finished 1-over for the final holes.
“Today, I started off good. I was 1-under through 16 holes. Then I three-putt for a double on 17 and got myself into a bad spot on the tee shot on 18 and bogied.”
That nervousness hasn't been usual for Herr. He seems to be calm and collected on the golf course.
“I put a little pressure on myself,” Zach explained. “I wanted to win this. Being the best player in the stated or being claimed to be, I felt I had to go out and prove myself.
“I pretty much knew I was out of it unless I could go out there and shoot a 63 so I wanted to put a good 18 together for the last (round) of the season.”
Zach also kept an eye on his little sister, who was playing in the foursome just ahead of his.
“It was good (watching his sister),” he said. “I had my little range finder and I was squatting down saying, 'Please go in; please go in.’ I pretty much knew where she was all day and she kept it good.”
West Allegheny's Garrett Browning, who shot an even-par 71 on Monday, followed that up with a 75 to finish at 146, one stroke ahead of Tommy Nettles of Peters Township and Indiana's Colton Wiggins. Defending champion Brandon Matthews of Pittston Area was tied for seventh at 152.
For a complete list of the boys’ and girls’ individual final results, click on the following link: http://www.piaa.org/assets/web/documents/2011_Golf_Final_Round_Scoreboard.pdf
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