Saydie Wagner played an incredible stretch of golf during the final round of the 6A girls' high school state championship on Tuesday to win medalist honors, while leading Lone Peak to their fourth-straight state championship.
That run by the Lone Peak junior came after a terrible start to her final round. Wagner took a two-shot lead into the final round at Meadow Brook Golf Course, but that lead quickly went away after she made bogeys on four of her first six holes.
"I kind of got sad," Wagner said of the slow start. "'Why did I do this to myself?' But I was able to turn it around mentally, and I think that's what helped me the most."
And what a turnaround it was. Wagner birdied No. 7, and then eagled No. 9 to close out the front nine. She kept it going with three straight birdies to start the back nine, followed by another birdie at No. 14 to cap an incredible stretch where she went seven-under par in eight holes, to give her a four-shot lead at five-under par with four holes to play.
"It was mostly my putter," said Wagner about that eight-hole stretch. "I was hitting good shots in, but I was making everything."
Wagner closed it out with one more birdie at No. 18 to shoot a 68 to win by three shots at six-under par.
"I was so stressed out," Wagner said after her final shot. "I was just thinking about my team and hugging everyone after and seeing how everyone else did. It's just really fun to win as a team and win individually."
Two-time medalist Aadyn Long finished in second place at three-under par after shooting 69 in the final round.
