Girls state championship roundup: Karanja, Kamas, Benn snare titles with standout performances
Class 5A: Karanja leads Durant to repeat
KINGSTON, Okla. (KXII) – The Durant Lady Lions golf team won the class 5A state championship, which was held at Chickasaw Pointe golf club in Kingston. Durant ended the two-day event with a total score of 678, winning by 16 strokes.
Durant golfer Mikaela Karanja would take 1st place as an individual as well, shooting a 70 in round 1, and a 73 in round 2. This is Durant’s 3rd team state title, and their 2nd in a row.
“These young ladies worked so hard, we started in January, and never really took a day off,” said Durant head coach Tanner Dupree. “They pushed themselves to the limits everyday, they’re very coachable, they do what they’re told to do, plus some. They’ve earned this state championship. It’s a great reward for them.”
“I’ve been working on a lot of things, and they all just came together at the right time,” said Durant golfer Mikaela Karanja. “It just kind of clicked. Everything was good.”
Class 4A: Kamas wins individually, Hilldale tops Kingfisher in a playoff
Maddi Kamas was clutch.
The senior at Kingfisher birdied her final two holes at Buffalo Rock Golf Club in Cushing during the final round of the Class 4A state tournament. It gave her a final round 3-under 67, but more importantly, it vaulted Kingfisher into a tie with Hilldale to force a playoff for the team championship.
Kamas shot a 4-under 136 to win the Class 4A individual crown by 20 strokes, blistering a course others struggled with. She was the only golfer to shoot under par in either round, and she did it both days.
“It was amazing,” Kamas said. “I’m just glad we had the opportunity to play. This experience was amazing. The team has come so far.”
Kamas’ sophomore year, she bogeyed the final hole to lose by one stroke at state. This year, she finished strong to win her seventh tournament of the year and final one of her high school career.
Kingfisher tied with Hilldale at 719 after 36 holes, so the teams went into a playoff. The format was all five players would play, with the four lowest scores counting.
Kamas, an Oklahoma City University signee, made a birdie on the first playoff hole, a par 5. Kingfisher’s other four golfers all made double bogeys, so the Yellowjackets’ total was 5-over.
Hilldale also had a 5-over score following the first playoff hole, with one par, one bogey and two doubles.
There were questions about a possible Hilldale rules infractions during the first playoff hole, but the tournament manager deemed no violation occurred.
The second playoff hole was a par 3. Kingfisher’s four counting scores were all bogeys. Three of Hilldale’s were bogeys, as well, but the Hornets also had a par, giving them a one-shot advantage after the second playoff hole and the victory.
“The end was great,” Hilldale coach Oren Sikes said. “Between that, nerve wracking. I thought we had lost on that first playoff hole, but the next hole was great.”
Hilldale also won the Class 4A championship in 2019. This is the sixth state title in school history.
Class 3A: Oklahoma Christian School’s Benn captures first individual title
Brooklyn Benn took her play to another level in the final round of the Class 3A girls golf state tournament.
The Oklahoma Christian School junior was the leader entering Thursday after a solid first round.
But she was even better in the finale.
Benn shot a bogey-free 6-under 64 at Westwood Park in Norman, finishing with a two-day total of 132 and winning her first individual state title.
“I just went out there and played my game,” Benn said. “I didn’t hit the ball as great, but I putted really well, and I think that’s what kept me going. A bogey-free round is a bogey-free round. I just kept going. I didn’t even know what I was at. I just kept playing.”
Benn finished 10 strokes ahead of runner-up Drew Faires of Mount St. Mary. Plainview senior and Oklahoma City University signee Reagan Chaney was one stroke behind Faires and placed third.
“I’m honestly very surprised of the lead I had,” Benn said. “There are some really good golfers in this tournament. I’m happy obviously that I won by that many, but I know that these girls are really good.”
Benn helped OCS place second in the team standings with a 638 total. Plainview won with a 628 to claim its fourth consecutive state championship (two in 4A and two in 3A).
OCS had two top-five finishers in Benn and Alex Peters, who had a 153 total.
Team and individual scores for all classes here