Two Adair County students independently qualified to play in the first round of the 2024 KHSAA State Golf Tournament. Ila Loy qualified for the girls’ competition, and Kaden Burton qualified for the boys’.
“I thought I played pretty good,” Loy said. “It was a pretty hard course, though.”
Head Coach Ashley Goodin also described the course as being difficult, but Loy played her best and finished the game with a score of 94. She did not qualify for the second round of the tournament, but she did learn what she needed to focus on for next year.
“I would like to go to state again. I might (need) to hit it a little farther because it’s a little long. And my short game needs to get a little bit better to get more ups and downs and that would help me get more pars,” she said.
Even getting to state itself was a major accomplishment—Loy was also the first girl to qualify for 12 years. Coach Goodin, herself, was the last one to do so. Loy did so by making it into the top 10 golfers in the team’s regional conference.
“It feels like a big accomplishment, and it’s really cool to know that my coach was the last person to go,” Loy stated.
Burton, meanwhile, placed 38 out of 80 in the boys’ championship with a score of 83. What qualified Burton for the state tournament was placing sixth in his team’s regional competition.
Much like Loy, Burton explained that his short game needed work, something he worked at prior to the tournament.
“(I) practiced short game. Coach Madewell and Coach Durham put me through drills,” he said.
Burton was also the sole member of his team to qualify, meaning that he was the only golfer representing Adair County when he went to play at Hopkinsville. The ability to play against other golfers at that level was something he enjoyed.
“It was fun and an honor to go. It’s always fun to play against the state’s best golfers,” Burton said.
Looking toward the future, Burton said the game taught him valuable lessons for when he hopefully places again next year.
“I learned I have to get stronger. And to calm down and control my nerves.”
By Kenley Godby
kenley@adairvoice.com
