Timpview girls golf finishes second in 5A state tournament
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- The Timpview girls golf team poses for a photo with the second-place trophy after the final round of the 5A state tournament at Remuda golf course in Farr West on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.
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- Timpview sophomore Seneti Toluta’u hits the ball during final round of the 5A state tournament at Remuda golf course in Farr West on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.
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- Timpview junior Emma Lillywhite watches her shot during the final round of the 5A state tournament at Remuda golf course in Farr West on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.
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- The top 10 individual finishers pose for a photo after the final round of the 5A state tournament at Remuda golf course in Farr West on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.
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- Timpview junior Kate Miller collects her ball after making a putt during the final round of the 5A state tournament at Remuda golf course in Farr West on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.
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- Timpview junior Sam Ellis watches her shot during the final round of the 5A state tournament at Remuda golf course in Farr West on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.
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- Timpview junior Mae Edwards hits the ball during the final round of the 5A state tournament at Remuda golf course in Farr West on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.
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- Timpview sophomore Avery Harris watches her shot during the final round of the 5A state tournament at Remuda golf course in Farr West on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.
The Timpview girls golf team entered the 2023 season knowing it had big shoes to fill. Few high school programs can have a pair of Division-I golfers and another clutch senior graduate and not have any drop off.
But the current squad of Thunderbirds, who won 5A state titles in 2019, 2021 and 2022 as well as a pandemic-year title equivalent, were determined to show they were up to the challenge.
Timpview proved to be tough and resilient in the final round of the 5A state tournament at Remuda golf course in Farr West, but Skyline seized the lead early and simply refused to let it slip away. The Eagles ended up edging the Thunderbirds by five strokes to win the team title.
“They really battled,” Timpview head coach Jeff Ward said. “We were nine strokes down at the turn and I thought, OK, we’ll see what happens. We got to within two, but just couldn’t get any closer than that. Hats off to Skyline. They did what they needed to do.”
Ward said he was proud of how his team performed, but having just a few too many strokes still hurt.
“I know they are all bummed and there were a lot of tears,” Ward said. “It was hard but no one gave up. We know we came up short but there are more than 30 other teams in the state that didn’t do as well. So we’ll take the second-place trophy. I’m disappointed but I’m OK and I think they will be too.”
Timpview got an impressive final round from sophomore Seneti Toluta’u, who tied for the top individual score on the day by shooting a 4-under-par 68.
“That was absolutely phenomenal for her,” Ward said. “She’s been building up to this and I’ve seen it coming. She just put it together.”
He noted how Toleta’u took her state-tournament experience from 2022 and built on it, playing with a lot more poise and confidence this year.
“She got a great four on No. 18 with a tough pin placement,” Ward said. “She made about an eight-foot, bending, uphill putt to save par with everyone around the green watching. It was awesome.”
Timpview’s top scorer was junior Emma Lillywhite, who ended up in second place overall with a 2-under-par 142 for the tournament. While she wasn’t able to match Skyline junior Ashley Lam’s blistering score of 11-under-par (133), Ward said Lillywhite still had plenty to be proud of.
“She played better than her score on both days,” Ward said. “She had a lot of birdie looks but one of those things in golf is that sometimes they don’t go in. And without Emma and Seneti, we wouldn’t have been even close.”
It wasn’t the ending that the Thunderbirds wanted but this is also a young core group, with no seniors on the varsity team.
Ward said he’s excited to see them build off of this year’s lessons and come back motivated and hungry to improve.
“I know Emma and Seneti have busy summer schedules set already but after we got back, I talked to my other golfers and said that what will set us apart for next year is playing a lot of competitive golf this summer,” Ward said. “Everything is fresh and raw now, but after things settle down we’ll have a team meeting and go over what we can do to get better for next year.”
While Timpview had the best team and individual scores, other local golfers also excelled.
Wasatch senior Ellie Olsen tied with Spanish Fork junior Katelin Bingham for fourth as both shot 3-over-par 147, while Orem freshman Kaylee Westfall was ninth with a score of 7-over-par 151.
Olsen spearheaded the Wasps’ fifth-place finish as a team, while Bingham set the tone for the Dons who ended up sixth.
For complete scores from the final round of the 5A state tournament, go to https://utpgajr.bluegolf.com.
5A girls golf finals
Team scores
1. Skyline, 630
2. Timpview, 635
3. Bonneville, 639
5. Wasatch, 666
6. Spanish Fork, 685
Individual scores
1. Ashley Lam, Skyline 133 (65-68)
2. Emma Lillywhite, Timpview 142 (70-72)
3. Seneti Toluta’u, Timpview 144 (76-68)
4. (tie) Ellie Olsen, Wasatch 147 (78-69)
Katelin Bingham, Spanish Fork 147 (77-70)
9. Kaylee Westfall, Orem 151 (74-77)
