Prep golf | Lakewood Ranch High School makes history with first region girls golf title; Manatee High School's Gabrielle Tomeo advances as an individual
It was close. Really close.
But despite the narrowest of margins, Lakewood Ranch girls golf head coach David Lamm wasn't worried.
His Mustangs edged Venice by one shot to claim the Class 3A-Region 5 title at Mission Valley Country Club in Nokomis on Tuesday.
"The main thing for this was the top two get to go," Lamm said. "So it looked like we were ahead of the third school enough that there really wasn't the panic, but it's always good to win. The main thing was to be able to go to state."
The Mustangs did it by making history as Tuesday's title was the girls golf program's first region championship.
"Being the first to win the region here is a pretty nice thing," Lamm said
Katie Kroos-Roberts paced Ranch with a 75. Theresa Morrissey (79), Natalie Rob
son (84), Sophia Warren (92) and Darby Laurvick (101) followed.
The top four of five scores are used in the team score.
The top two teams at the regional tournament qualified for the Class 3A state tournament, scheduled for Nov. 3-4 at Mission Inn and Resort's Las Colinas course in Howey-in-the-Hills.
To get there, the Mustangs played 13 shots better on the back nine after a slow start, showcasing their resiliency, to book a state tourney berth.
"We didn't play very well on the front, but the girls played better on the back, which is a good thing," Lamm said.
Meanwhile, Gabrielle Tomeo had a late hiccup for the second straight week that cost her an under-par round.
But unlike last week's district tournament, the Manatee sophomore didn't separate herself from the field.
Tomeo took second as an individual on Tuesday following a 72.
Plant City's Kendall Johnson was the medalist with a 71.
Still, Tomeo advanced as one of two individuals not on a qualifying team.
"Like I told her, I said, 'At the beginning of the day, we said, 'Hey, you're going to shoot even-par today,' that would be a great day,'" Manatee head coach Alan Johnson said. "The way it happened was not a great day. It's all perspective."
For Tomeo, she double bogeyed the 17th hole before a bogey on the 18th zapped a 3-under par score from her grasp.
Despite the late miscues each of the last two weeks, Johnson is confident enough with the way Tomeo's game has shaped up that she should contend at the 3A state tournament in early November.
"She's had one hiccup hole," Johnson said. "She gets rid of that one hiccup; she shoots 3- or 4-under in both tournaments. If she does that at states, she'll blow everybody away."
Manatee sophomore Danielle Wolfe also competed. Her season came to a close after a 98.
This story was originally published October 21, 2015 at 12:22 AM with the headline "Prep golf | Lakewood Ranch High School makes history with first region girls golf title; Manatee High School's Gabrielle Tomeo advances as an individual ."