Boylan girls picked to play in national high school golf tournament
The biggest high school sporting events usually also bring the most pressure.
Not this one. Boylan senior Ella Greenberg felt a big weight on her shoulders to deliver when she finished second in the state in Class 1A last fall and also led Boylan to a second-place team finish, its highest showing ever in girls golf. Now Boylan will take on teams from all around the U.S. in the National High School Golf Association National Invitational.
More: 6 medals and a record-setting state trophy: How Rockford's golfers fared at IHSA state
It is a lot bigger than state,” Greenberg said, “but the pressure is not going to be as big as state, which is going to be nice. There’s not as much stress. We can just go out there and have fun. It would be nice to come back with a good finish, but if we don’t, I won’t be upset, like i would have been at state.”
Every state team and individual champion is invited to the 54-hole tourney July 10-12 in Frisco, Texas. The best at-large teams and golfers are also invited. In total, 620 golfers from 49 states will play this year. Boylan is the first Rockford-area team to participate in this event, which was first held in 2019 at Disney World.
“There will be some fun moments, but the team is going down there to take it seriously and be one of the best teams in the country,” Boylan coach Bobby VanSistine said.
Greenberg, her junior sister Eva (tied for fifth at state) and sophomore Ava Kalt (27th at state) lead a Boylan team that also consists of senior Tessa Lawson and freshman Demi Hampilos.
“We have to show them how it’s done,” Eva Greenberg said, “but also have fun at the same time. Our score is not the only thing that matters.”
One thing that matters is playing at Fields Ranch in Frisco, 30 miles north of Dallas and the home of the new PGA of America’s headquarters. Fields Ranch, which opened in early May, is scheduled to host 26 elite tournaments in the next 12 years, including the 2027 and 2034 PGA Championships. Boylan will play in the second-ever tourney there, after only the 2023 Senior PGA tourney.
“It will be fun watching bigger events out there and comparing myself,” Ella Greenberg said. “If a pro bogeys a hole, I can say I parred it and he didn’t.”
Contact: mtrowbridge@rrstar.com, @matttrowbridge or 815-987-1383. Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and Iowa City.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Boylan girls to participate in national high school golf tournament
