The Marion Athletic Conference golf tournament was scheduled to be played over 18 holes on a warm late September afternoon, but Hurricane Helene had other plans. Because of the ensuing storm, the tournament was reduced to nine holes Wednesday, adding twice the pressure for Marion County high school golfers.
A soaking wet crowd of golfers gathered in the clubhouse to find the Forest High School boys and girls teams leading the final standings when the rain eased, while familiar faces claimed individual titles at the event.
Vanguard’s Zach Phan, a two-time champion in his first two years, shot a blistering 32 to win the tournament. His four-under-par day is nothing to take lightly. Nor is Phan’s five-shot difference over Fest’s two finalists, Taylor Galavis and Owen Sahajpal.
“I won my sophomore year and coming back here feels good,” Phan said. “I’m good friends with most of the Forest kids, so it’s a friendly competition, so beating them is pretty fun.”
While Forest won its 13th consecutive county title, Phan’s four birdies helped the Vanguard Knights boys golf team finish second. North Marion took a surprising third place with Brandon Keen scoring the team’s best and tied for fifth in the county with a 43.
The top golfer in the county was Haley Davis, who won her second county title. While the FSU golfer wasn’t proud of her 38, it was enough to win the event by seven holes. Belleview senior Lindsey Reimsnyder and Forest senior Olivia Robles shot 45s.
“It’s great to come back and play again. It was a little up and down, but I’m happy to get the win and I’m happy to be back,” Davis said.
This is the fourth year in a row that Forest boys and girls have won the county titles. We have the results from our champions match below:
MAC Golf Tournament Results
Individual winners
Boys1 Zach Phan 322 Taylor Galavis 373 Owen Sahajpal 374 Xavier Sahajpal 385 Carsen Spell 39
Girls1 Haley Davis 382 Olivia Robles 453 Lindsey Reimsnyder 4 Kara Griggs 465 Caroline Davis 46
Team ranking
Boys1 Forest2 Vanguard3 North Marion4 Belleview5 Dunnellon
Girls1 Forest2 Vanguard3 North Marion4 Belleview5 West Port
This article was originally published on the Ocala Star-Banner: Zach Phan, Haley Davis Win Marion County Individual Golf Titles
