Bonanno takes second at State

Updated: October 17, 2011 7:36PM

Ridgewood’s Sabrina Bonanno was in a unique position with one hole to play at the girls Class A state finals on Saturday.

The Ridgewood sophomore had an opportunity to accomplish a rare feat: earn state runner-up honors in consecutive years in two different classes.

Coming off a double-bogey on her 35th hole of the tournament, staged at the par-72 Red Tail Run Golf Course, Bonanno had an up-and-down to save par as she shoot a 3-over-par 75 for a 154 two-day total.

With her closing par, the last of 17 over the course of the two-day tournament, Bonanno edged St. Thomas More senior Sierra Myerscough for second place by a single stroke.

Normal U-High senior Katherine Hepler not only won the individual championship with a 4-over-par 148 total but also anchored her school to a one-shot victory, 686-687, over Nashville for the team title.

“It was nice seeing (Hepler) again,” said Bonanno, who competed against the Normal star on the summer circuit.

Bonanno was state runner-up in Class AA last fall, losing out to Stephanie Miller of Stevenson.

But the Rebels were reclassified to Class A status this fall when the IHSA restructured the girls two-class state tournament.

It was a mentally and physically draining weekend for Bonanno, who is the No. 1 player on the Rebels boys team.

High winds and a glacial pace of play were the central ingredients to first-day action on Friday.

“I was trying to adjust,” Bonanno said of her first-round that took nearly seven hours to complete.

The sophomore struggled out of the gates, posting a 41 on her outward-nine holes on Friday.

“I adapted it from there,” Bonanno said of her mindset making the turn on first-day play. “I basically told myself to go play golf and not worry about what I was going to shoot.”

The revived approach worked as Bonanno, who had a pair of birdies in her first round, reduced three strokes off her front nine to post one of eight sub-80 scores on the day.

The 7-over-par 79 left Bonanno in a five-way tie for fifth place after the opening round.

Ridgewood coach Tom Parillo had some simple advice for his underclass star before second-round play.

“She can’t control what other players are doing,” Parillo said. “What she can control is how well she strikes the ball.”

With improved ball-striking as her central priority on Saturday, Bonanno had the first of four birdies on her opening hole.

Bonanno was able to slice two shots off the Hepler first-round lead, but the U-High senior had too much of a first-day cushion to overcome.

“Obviously, (Bonanno) would have liked to have won,” Parillo said. “To finish in the top-two twice in a row is a great accomplishment. It’s a testament to her skill and mental ability.”

“I had to let everything go,” Bonanno said of the pressure-cooker of state golf. “Things started going my way.”

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