Snider, Hood battle elements at state golf

A rain-delayed Class 4A girls state golf tournament ended Friday on a battered and soaked track at Cushing’s Buffalo Rock Golf Course.

When the final putt had dropped, both of Kingfisher’s golfers finished in the top-half of the field.

Raegan Snider finished tied for 16th with a two-day total of 187.

Kylie Hood tied for 31st with her 198.

There were 84 total golfers in the tournament, which was originally scheduled to be played Wednesday and Thursday.

Heavy rains pushed the opening round back a day and left the course soaking wet in some place and absolutely muddy in others.

“I thought the girls played well, especially considering the conditions of the course,” coach Audra Smalley said.

“The course was so wet and muddy the first day and equally wet the second day, but with the fairways torn up.”

The course has no cart paths on the back-nine.

“Cart paths had destroyed the fairways,” Smalley said.

Hood opened the tournament with a 93, which was better than either round she shot as a freshman on the same course the year before.

She closed out with a 105.

“Her game has improved so much in a year’s time,” Smalley said. “She is so close to breaking 90.”

Snider, who won the regional tournament held at Kingfisher the previous week, had rounds of 94 and 93.

“I know she didn’t play the way she wanted, but I thought her freshman year was a great building block for the next three years,” Smalley said.

Snider shot a 42 on the final nine holes.

“She really played great down the stretch,” Smalley said. “All in all, I think the girls handled themselves well and had great attitudes about the situation.

“I’m excited to see what they can do next year.”

Layne Ailshie of Fort Gibson was the individual state champ with rounds of 80 and 73.

Her 153 total was two strokes better than Ada’s Beans Factor.

Ailshie was the state runner-up last year to Kingfisher’s Maddi Kamas.

Hilldale won the team title for the third straight year. Its 712 total beat Ada by 26 strokes.