Columbus girls golf team wins Northside Invitational

With several local girls golf teams on hand at the Northside Invitational Girls Golf Tournament, the Columbus Lady Blue Devils’ strong performances stole the show at Bull Creek Golf Course.

Columbus’ Faith Scott and Mary Catherine McDaniel posted the two lowest individual scores to lead the Lady Blue Devils to a team victory on Tuesday. Scott’s individual victory came one year after finishing second in the tournament.

Columbus topped second-place Brookstone by 45 strokes in a two-day tournament marked by unfavorable weather on the course.

“It was cold and wet the first day and even colder and windy the second day,” Northside head coach Patricia Hidle said. “The conditions were miserable. However, the girls played remarkably well for the conditions. We had nine teams playing, so it was something we couldn’t reschedule because that would be a scheduling nightmare.”

The Lady Blue Devils actually had the top three scorers in the tournament, as Maddy Krueger’s 87 followed Scott’s 79 and McDaniel’s 83. LaGrange’s Blakely Arp was the top non-Columbus golfer, shooting an 88.

Hidle’s Lady Patriots finished third, trailing Brookstone by 13 strokes. Hidle said she was very pleased with the team’s strong efforts against a field packed with talented golfers.

“My No. 1 golfer, Landon Cumbie, she improved her score (from last year) by maybe 13 strokes,” Hidle said. “I was very, very excited for my kids to get third place.”

Hidle commended all of the golfers for their performances, especially on the second day when wind became a major factor. She also thanked the staff at Bull Creek Golf Course, where the tournament was held, for being extra accommodating given the weather.

Hidle explained the invitational means a great deal to several of the local teams, which key in on it being the most important competition they’ll be in all season.

“For some teams, this is the only big tournament they play in,” Hidle said. “It’s important to keep having a tournament for those kids. Some teams are able to go off and travel to big tournaments, but for some teams this is the biggest one they play in all year.”

That made a third-place showing even sweeter for Hidle.

“They all played well, and I was proud of them,” Hidle said.

Final Standings/Top Scorers

This story was originally published March 15, 2017 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Columbus girls golf team wins Northside Invitational."