AUSTIN – Buoyed by her best competitive round ever, Leonard’s Amber Henderson earned a solid tie for ninth place this week at the UIL State Golf Championships.
Henderson’s final tally of 168 for the two-day tournament was 23 strokes back of individual champion Kelsey Kirkpatrick of Alba-Golden.
Due to the perennial 2A host course (Jimmy Clay GC) undergoing major construction, the event was held at Morris Williams GC. Henderson took the change in stride, firing a first-round 40-42--82 on Monday in the humid Austin weather.
“I thought I was going to pass out on about (hole) 13 or 14,” said Henderson. “I had gone through two of those big Gatorades, and I was glad when we were through.”
The first-round results showed Henderson firmly in eighth place, eight strokes out of the overall lead. When tee times for the final round were announced, she had drawn the first slot – the 8 a.m. pairing.
“The weather was great early on Tuesday,” said Henderson. “It was cool and breezy. That helped a lot.”
After an identical 42 on the back nine (the girls began on hole #10 on Tuesday), things were looking up. But the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, and the greens that had been so receptive in the morning firmed up. Henderson, who had played a practice round on Sunday, began to feel the weight of 54 holes in 48 hours.
Two birdies on the front nine were overshadowed by some double bogeys, and Henderson finished 44-42 for a second-day 86.
Henderson, the District 13-2A champion again after a runner-up finish last year, earned her second state berth with an 85 at the rain-shortened Region II championships in late April. She had finished tied for 31st in Texas in 2005 at Jimmy Clay.
Leonard golf coach Greg Connelly complimented Henderson, who is only a junior, on the best individual finish in LHS history.
“We were tickled with her final score,” said Connelly. “She gave a few shots back at the very end, but a lot of that was fatigue from all the golf she’s played lately. Here’s the big thing - she finally saw that she belongs with the best golfers in Texas.”
