Germantown sophomore wins state golf tourney

Germantown and Madison Central competed in the MHSAA 7A girls’ golf state tournament this week at Patrick Farms in Pearl, which was hosted by Madison Central.

The two-day tournament was highlighted by Germantown sophomore Kaylee Gatlin winning the individual state title for the Mavericks, shooting a 146 through two rounds and beating Sasha Challagolla of Starkville and Natalie Bryant of Northwest Rankin by two strokes. Gatlin wins after finishing sixth overall in last year’s state tournament.

Gatlin has become somewhat of a local golf phenom, as she traveled the country over the summer, playing in NBA star Stephen Curry’s “Underrated” Golf Tour. 

Madison Central had a great team performance, as they finished tied for third in the team portion of the competition with Lewisburg, trailing only Northwest Rankin, who finished second, and the overall winner, Desoto Central, by five strokes. 

Standout individual performances for the Jaguars included eighth grader Blake Bayliss finishing tied for fifth, freshman Ivy Thomas finishing tied for 11th, and seventh grader Kate Neely finishing tied for 17th.

As for Germantown, the Mavericks finished ninth in the team portion of the competition and were 49 strokes behind the overall champions in DeSoto Central.

Standout performances for Germantown other than Gatlin, who won the individual state title, were senior Camille Anderson finishing 37th, sophomore Ella Evans finishing 47th, and senior Carrington Holloway finishing 49th. 

While the girls’ golf season has wrapped up, the boys’ MHSAA tournaments will take place next week at multiple locations across the state including Tunica National Golf Club for 7A, which will likely involve area teams as well.