Two championships in two days is becoming a common occurrence for Reeths-Puffer golfer Sophia McCollum.
On Wednesday she won the individual title at the Gull Lake Invitational, a tournament with a lot of potential All-State players. On Thursday she followed up by taking first place at the O-K Green Conference Championship tournament at the Muskegon Country Club, and finished as the top golfer in the conference this season.
McCollum shot a winning score of 77. That was three shots better than Byron Center’s Izzy Tawoda, who took second place with an 80.
Her two-day performance was a lot like last week, when she won the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association Tournament on Tuesday, then turned around and won a conference jamboree on Wednesday.
Sophia McCollum. Photo/Joe Lane
McCollum now has nine first-place finishes this season.
“Sophia put on another show,” said R-P head coach Matt Pallett. “She has had a tremendous year in a very tough conference. To end up being the number one golfer in a conference that has multiple girls going on to play college golf next year speaks volumes of her year.”
McCollum’s latest conquest was the highlight of an all-around great day for the R-P girls golf team, which shot a season-best 18-hole score of 367 and finished second at the tournament. That was R-P’s best finish in six conference events this year.
Byron Center took first place with a 356.
R-P’s Olivia Ambler and Ella Voorhies also had very good days. Ambler shot a 91 and finished in sixth place in the individual standings, while Voorhies shot a 94 and finished 10th individually. They both won medals for their performances.
R-P medalists, left to right, Olivia Ambler, Ella Voorhies, Sophia McCollum.
Reeths-Puffer senior Keeley Cole also had a good day, shooting a 105, which was her career best 18-hole score by 14 strokes.
McCollum won All -Conference honors for the third straight season while Ambler earned honorable mention designation.
“Olivia continues to impress,” Pallett said. “She has really started to peak at the right time. She earned her honorable mention All-Conference award with very solid play.
“It was great to see Ella have a breakout round. I am happy to see her earn her first event medal. She has worked hard for it.
“I am impressed with Keeley Cole and her round. She has not had the best of seasons, but continues to have a positive attitude and continues to work hard for the team. Her performance today helped us to have a strong performance.”
The Rockets will host a Division 2 regional tournament on Tuesday at Lincoln Golf Club. They will be competing to qualify for the state finals as a team, or as individuals.