Guyton, Schultz are Beacon-News co-Players of Year
It doesn't get much better than this -- just one place, in fact.
Kaneland junior Hayley Guyton and Somonauk freshman Jessica Schultz each finished second at the recent state meets -- Guyton in Class 2A, Schultz in Class 1A -- and have earned Beacon-News co-Players of the Year honors in girls golf.
(Donnell Collins/For Sun-Times Media)
"I've never met her," Guyton said of Schultz, "but that's awesome for a freshman."
The 2A meet was held at Hickory Ridge Golf Course in Carbondale and the 1A meet at Crab Orchard Golf Club in Carterville.
Only the top 15 players at state (held since 1975) earn individual medals and the Aurora area has had only two medalists before, none higher than a tie for 14th.
Guyton, who plays on the Kaneland boys team during the regular season because there aren't enough girls interested to field a squad of their own, was making her third straight trip to state. She was The Beacon's player of the year the previous two seasons after finishing tied for 68th and tied for 42nd at state in 2007 and 2008, respectively.
This year she opened with a 75 and was tied for seventh after the first day in the 36-hole event. She came back with a tournament-best 2-under 70 the second day to tie defending champion Kris Yoo of Conant. Yoo won by earning par on the first playoff hole while Guyton made bogey 5.
"I kind of like had an epiphany with golf that weekend at state," said Guyton. "I was just playing good golf, was putting well and my mindset was great. It was just the culmination of a bunch of things."
She had worked especially hard on her short game this season.
"I kind of struggled with it but got it going that weekend," Guyton said. "And on that second day, I was just making my putts. I mean everything. That's the lowest number of putts, 23, I've ever had in a round.
"Usually when I'm playing good I choke at something by the end of the round. That second day, by the end of the round I was thinking I could win the tournament."
Ironically, a two-putt on the playoff hole while Yoo one-putted made the difference.
Schultz had little or no tournament experience before the season started but blossomed. She won a playoff to claim a sectional title, then went out and shot 78 on the first day at state and held a three-shot lead over eventual champion Tala Mumford, a senior from Massac County.
"On Thursday (following a practice round) I was thinking I'd like to get in the top 20 and that top 10 would be great," Schultz said. "And then after the first day I'm leading. I was a little shocked. I was thinking of all the girls, especially the seniors, who would die to be in that position."
She led through 14 holes of the second round before a quadruple-bogey 8 on No. 15 (a par 4) dropped her out of it by a stroke, although she wasn't sure where she stood at that point. Mumford was in the group ahead of her and Notre Dame's Rachel Powers, with whom Schultz would tie for second at 164 after finishing with an 86 the second day, was in the same group.
"I was in the fairway (on 15) after my tee shot," she said, noting she had second thoughts in midswing on her second shot after the wind picked up.
She hit it out of bounds and had to take a drop and proceeded to do it again before hitting onto the green on the third try.
She bogeyed a par 3 on the next hole but came back with a par 5 on 17. Unbeknownst to her, Mumford was shooting 7 on 17, meaning they were tied.
Thinking she had to make up for her struggles, Schultz hit driver off the tee on 18 instead of the 4-wood she used the day before and got in trouble again, settling for a double-bogey 6.
"I guess that I can't really do much better," she said, looking back. "For my first year, I'm pretty happy. I've set the bar high for myself. There will be a lot of pressure (in succeeding years) but just as long as I get down (to state), I'll be happy.
"It's a pretty humbling sport."
Guyton said she plans to travel a bit more this summer, playing in American Junior Golf Association regional events, to broaden her experience and hopefully draw more recruiting interest.
"I just got a letter from the University of Illinois two days ago," she said. "That's the first I've heard from what I would call a 'big college program.'"
Schultz hopes to pick it up, too, and plans to play in about 20 tournaments over the summer.
