After two great showings at the district and region golf tournaments, the Chantilly High School golf team lipped out at the state championship. The Chargers finished third behind a record-breaking performance by the winning team, Kellam of Virginia Beach, on Oct. 12 at Nansemond River Golf Course in Suffolk.
Led by Ji Soo Park, Chantilly posted a two-day total of 587, just three strokes shy of the old state team record for four players. Kellam, however, broke the record with a tidy 577, and two of their players finished 1-2 in the individual scoring.
“I’m extremely proud of the team,” said Chantilly co-head coach Kurt Sporkmann. “Our goal was to compete at states, and we certainly did that.”
Park, who will join the DC area’s top junior player, Denny McCarthy, on the University of Virginia golf team next year, again paced the Chantilly team. His 67-70—137 gave him the third place medal as an individual, just behind Kellam’s Alex Lloyd (67-67—134), and Trey Smith (70-66—136).
“The back nine on the second day did me in,” Park said. “I tried to go out and do the same thing in the final round, but I started thinking too much.”
Coach Sporkmann also spoke of the fine play by freshman Ju Hee Bae, whose 74-71—145 earned her the 11th spot among the players from the eight qualifying teams.
“She was very steady on the course,” Sporkmann said. “On the second day, she made eight straight pars on the front nine, and then birdied number nine.”
Bae finished second among the girls playing in the state tournament, one stroke better than Westfield’s Shabril Brewer. (In coed tournaments, the girls play yardages set at 85 percent of the boy’s tees).
The other two Chantilly players whose scores counted against the team total on the second day were Mike Gagne (77-77—154) and Jack Dargle (80-75—155). Steve Aanstoos and Vy Do also contributed.