Region 9 girls golf: Pine View wins 1st region title

Written by Jeff Richards
April 29, 2021
Pine View players and coaches with Region 9 championship trophy, L-R: Lilly Stirling, Katelyn Leavitt, head coach Matt Wieland, Alyssa Butterfus, Skyeli Millward, Kenzi Owen, Hallie Wieland, Anique Shirts and assistant coach Kathy Higgins. Sand Hollow Resort, Hurricane, Utah, April 28, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Matt Wieland, St. George News

HURRICANE — The Pine View Panthers won the Region 9 girls golf championship on Wednesday.

Playing at Sand Hollow Resort in the season’s eighth and final weekly region match, the Panthers’ top four golfers posted a combined 18-hole score of 368, putting them 15 strokes ahead of runner-up Desert Hills, which scored 383. 

All four of Pine View’s top four scorers came in under 100, with Alyssa Butterfus leading the way with an 80, followed by Hallie Wieland’s 92, then Kenzie Owen and Skyeli Millward, who each posted a 98.

The win marked Pine View’s first region championship in girls golf.

Dixie, which had taken first place the previous week, placed third on Wednesday with a 392, as junior Iris Pead missed the match due to illness. Dixie’s Annabelle Millard once again had the best overall individual score, shooting a 75. Millard, a junior, won Region 9’s top medalist honors for the season, having won six of the eight weekly matches and placing second in the other two.

Eleven of the top 12 individual medalists for the Region 9 girls golf season, including winner Annabelle Millard of Dixie (far right). Not pictured: Iris Pead of Dixie. Sand Hollow Resort, Hurricane, Utah, April 28, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Matt Wieland, St. George News

Ellie Johnson of Hurricane had the second best score of the day on Wednesday, shooting a 77 and earning runner-up individual medalist honors. She qualified for the upcoming state tournament as an individual, even though the Tigers didn’t make the cut as a team.

In addition to Johnson, the players on the region’s top six teams will next compete at the two-day, 36-hole 4A state tournament, scheduled for May 12-13 at Meadow Brook Golf Course in Taylorsville.

“I’ve been trying to keep an eye on the schools up north and from what I’ve seen, I honestly think we’re the team to beat,” Pine View head coach Matt Wieland told St. George News. “We’re going to have to play better than we have the last few weeks, but if we play our best, we can beat anyone.”

The reigning 4A state champion is Ridgeline High, whose 2019 victory ended Desert Hills’ remarkable nine-year winning streak (the first eight of which were when the Thunder were in the 3A classification). No tournament took place in 2020, as the COVID-19 outbreak caused the cancellation of all high school spring sports.

Region 9 team scores, Sand Hollow, April 28 (18 holes)

  1. Pine View 368
  2. Desert Hills 383
  3. Dixie 392
  4. Hurricane 407
  5. Crimson Cliffs 409
  6. Snow Canyon 410
  7. Cedar 427
  8. Canyon View 509
Annabelle Millard of Dixie competes in Region 9 girls golf match at Sand Hollow Resort, Hurricane, Utah, April 28, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Matt Wieland, St. George News

Region 9 final regular season standings (team placement points)

  1. Pine View 62.5
  2. Dixie 54.5
  3. Desert Hills 51
  4. (tie) Cedar 29.5
  5. (tie) Crimson Cliffs 29.5
  6. Snow Canyon 28.5
  7. Hurricane 24.5
  8. Canyon View 8

Top 12 season individual medalists (18-hole scoring average)

  1. Annabelle Millard, Dixie 76.0
  2. Ellie Johnson, Hurricane 84.1
  3. Hallie Wieland, Pine View 87.0
  4. Alyssa Butterfus, Pine View 87.5
  5. Rylee Payne, Desert Hills 94.5
  6. Skyeli Millward, Pine View 94.8
  7. Kenzi Owen, Pine View 98.4
  8. Savannah Ranson, Desert Hills 98.1
  9. Kamree Findley, Snow Canyon 102.5
  10. Brooklyn Rhodes, Desert Hills 100.4
  11. Iris Pead, Dixie 98.3
  12. Lucy Dixon, Desert Hills 96.8

Note: individual rankings are based on per-match placement points, rather than scores or stroke totals.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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