NK’s rising star Morrell captures girls crown
By JOHN GILLOOLY
Journal Sports Writer
NARRAGANSETT — Samantha Morrell continued
her climb up the Rhode Island women’s golf ladder yesterday when the North
Kingstown High sophomore captured the R.I. Interscholastic League girls
individual state championship with a one-stroke victory over Toll Gate’s
Alexandra King at the Point Judith Country Club.
Morrell, who finished in a tie for third
in her first high school tourney last year, became the new state champion
yesterday when she fired a 9-over-par 81 for the 18-hole tournament.
She and King, a senior and a three-time
All-Stater, had made the turn deadlocked at 4-over
40. The duo was still all even after 12 holes, but then Morrell picked up two
strokes over the next two holes and King couldn’t overcome the deficit.
The girls title
completed a season of outstanding performances by Morrell against
Last summer, when she was only 15 years
old, Morrell was runner-up for medalist honors in the
Ocean State Golf Association’s State Women’s Amateur tournament, and she also
advanced to the semifinal round of tourney’s match-play competition.
She didn’t look like she was at the top of
her game early yesterday when she was 3-over after three holes with a bogey on
the first hole and a double-bogey on the third. That put her two strokes behind
King, who was playing in her threesome.
But Morrell quickly steadied her game and
parred five of the final six holes on the front side.
That pulled her even with King, who gave up her two-stroke advantage by
bogeying the seventh and eighth.
King, who is headed to St. Leo’s College
in
King’s double-bogey on the 331-yard,
par-4 13th gave Morrell a chance to regain the lead with a bogey and the North
Kingstown star added to her advantage with a par on the par-4 14th while King
suffered another bogey.
From that point Morrell never gave up the
advantage. After she and King traded strokes on 15 through 17, King did managed
to cut the final margin to one with a par5 on the 454-yard par-5 18th, but
Morrell battled her way to the bogey six that gave her the title.
Meghan Doherty, the Westerly senior and
three-time All-Stater, finished third with an 84.
Morrell, King and Doherty have been the state’s top high school female golfers
throughout the season. The trio were the only girls
who made the cut in last week’s Interscholastic League tournament. In addition
to Morrell’s sixth-place finish, Doherty finished 14th and King finished 18th.
King’s Toll Gate teammate, Annika Gliottone, finished fourth
yesterday with an 86, and Bay View’s Amanda Parker
took fifth with an 87.
The top 10 finishers yesterday qualified
for Monday’s New England Interscholastic Tournament at the Bretwood
Golf Club in