Warriorettes finish fourth at state

The White County Warriorettes wrapped up their season Tuesday with a fourth-place finish at the TSSAA Class A State Golf Championship.

White County posted a two-day team score of 313, finishing just 11 strokes behind state champion Summertown. Greeneville and Springfield each finished at 304, while White County and Alcoa both closed the tournament at 313

Freshmen Ava Elrod and Piper Heady led the way for the Warriorettes, and the two were separated by just one stroke after 36 holes. Both shot a 77 in Monday’s opening round. Elrod came back with a 79 Tuesday to finish the tournament at 156, while Heady shot an 80 in the second round for a 157.

That put both freshmen near the top of a field of more than 40 golfers. Elrod tied for 12th overall in the state, while Heady finished 14th.

Sophomore Lenzie Golden rounded out White County’s three-golfer lineup. Golden shot an 80 Monday and an 81 Tuesday, giving her a two-day score of 161 and a tie for 21st overall.

The fourth-place finish puts an end to a season that included plenty of success for a White County team without a single upperclassman in its lineup.

The Warriorettes won the region championship to advance to the state tournament, with all three golfers finishing in the top four individually at the region tournament. Elrod shot a 73 there to lead the field, Golden finished second after a playoff with a 78, and Heady was fourth with a 79.

Then, at state, all three finished among the top 21 - and White County gets them all back next season. Elrod and Heady will return as sophomores, while Golden will be a junior, giving the Warriorettes a state-tested lineup that has already won a region championship and finished fourth in Tennessee.