By JEFF STEERS
Contributing Writer
Three years of experience at the state finals helped Napoleon High School golfer Anna McCubbins ready herself to be near the top of the leaderboard.
Last Saturday it came true.
McCubbins won the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 4 individual state championship Saturday at the Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids.
She finished the 36-hole tournament with rounds for 79 and 76.
It was her third top10 medal at the state’s biggest high school golf tournament.
Napoleon finished fifth as a team – its highest finish in the state tournament by a NHS girls’ golf team.
“I just started making long putts,” McCubbins said after earning medalist honors. “The greens were fast on Friday but a rainstorm slowed them on Saturday.”
It rained Friday night into Saturday but stopped just before play at 10 a.m. Napoleon had posted a team score of 402 on Friday but shot 376 Saturday moving up three places to fifth place.
McCubbins played in the state finals all four years of high school. She started the round two strokes behind the leader following a 79 on Friday.
“I just had good swings after good swings and was able to harness the one shot at a time mentality,” McCubbins said. “The two girls in front of me Friday were both freshman … I had three years of experience at the state tournament.”
Avery Rhodes of Napoleon finished with rounds of 97 and 91 – a personal best for her. Teammate Katelyn Ault shot 97 and 95 – also a personal best for 18 holes for her. Kelsey Chapman shot 243 to round out the scoring for Napoleon.
McCubbins said her father and coach, Don, broke the news to her that she had won. The Napoleon senior is not much of a scoreboard watcher.
“We both teared up … it did not feel real,” McCubbins said. “It was nice to have my teammates and father with me.”
Columbia Central also had two individual qualifiers at the D-4 state final.
Kelsey Fausz of CCHS finished with 183 – one stroke away from a top-10 medal – and Maddy Truax of CCHS shot 231 for 36 holes.
