Allison Walsh paces Prospect girls to historic title

Updated: October 15, 2011 8:47PM

FORSYTH, Ill. – The queen made the last dance.

Four days after she was crowned Prospect’s homecoming queen, Allison Walsh punctuated her memorable week by winning the girls Class AA individual title and catapulting the Knights to their first state championship in a girls sport in school history at Hickory Point Golf Club Saturday.

Walsh fired a 5-over, two-day total of 149 to edge Hampshire’s Connie Ellett by one stroke. The Knights’ team mark of 643 eclipsed defending state champion New Trier, who finished with 650. Highland Park was third with 661.

Crystal Lake Central’s Alexandra Harkins finished third with 151. Buffalo Grove’s Grace Kil and first-day leader Bing Singhsumalee, a Waubonsie Valley freshman, finished tied for fourth. Defending champion Stephanie Miller of Stevenson was sixth.

A senior Bradley recruit who did not begin playing golf competitively until her freshman year, Walsh shot a school-record, even-par 72, including a 3-under on the front nine that enabled her to fight back from two-shot deficit to start the second round. 

Walsh seized control early, hitting a 200-yard approach within six feet of the hole on the second hole for an eagle-2. She also birdied the fifth and seventh holes. “I wasn’t trying to make birdies,” she said. “The whole focus was on the team and the state title, and we knew the team that made the most pars was going to win the state title.”

She survived a difficult 18th hole, where she shot a 2-over 6. After pushing her drive, her third approach shot landed about 18 feet from the cup. Her first putt slipped past and she missed the comeback. “I misplayed that putt, but it wasn’t nerves or anything,” she said.

Ellett nearly forced a playoff but her 25-foot uphill put for birdie was just four inches short. Walsh, who finished earlier than Ellett, was practicing her putting, believing a playoff was likely when her athletic director, Jean Rezny, informed her of the final results on her smartphone.

Ellett birdied the 15th to pull into a momentary tie and maintain the pressure on Walsh. Ellett three-putted the 17th, putting her one back of Walsh heading into the final hole. “She was ahead of us, and sometimes that’s an advantage because when you play with somebody in the same group, you can design your shots around them,” Ellett said. “I didn’t even know I was [one behind]. My parents just said, ‘Make that putt.’”

Prospect’s victory was a family affair. Walsh’s sister Kylie, a sophomore, shot an 82 in finishing 29th. Christine Garmoe recovered from a first-day 85 to shoot a 78 for 23rd place.  

“We worked very hard, individually and with our coaches, over the summer,” Garmoe said. “We broke the school-record in our second meet of the year, and we had a feeling this was a team that could win a state title.”

The Knights finished fourth last year. Prospect coach Jim Hamann estimated the team played Hickory Point about 20 times in preparation for the weekend. “The conditions were very windy, especially yesterday, but we were prepared because we practice against that a lot,” Walsh said.

Asked about the course, Walsh smiled and said, “I like it a lot, especially now.”

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