Lakeland, McKeel, Bartow golfers dominate at Hawkins/Crutchfield
· Yahoo Sports
It wasn’t until executing her second birdie of the day and going 1-under on the scorecard following hole No. 11 that Lakeland senior golfer Elizabeth Hall felt a sense of assurance that she could shoot one of the lower scores on the day.
Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.
And she did just that at the 2026 Girls Crutchfield/Hawkins Invitational at Pinecrest Golf Club in Sebring on Monday afternoon. But this time she shot her second lowest score ever, beating her previous record by seven strokes and winning the tournament outright for the second year in a row. Other Polk County golfers who finished in the top 10 were Winter Haven sophomore Danica Becker (81, 3rd), Auburndale sophomore Rylee Smith (86, 6th) and George Jenkin junior Katherine Novotny (90, 9th).
“It’s amazing. To be able to do it back-to-back and to have a competitive field where I had to a shoot a better score this year in order to win, it is a really good feeling. And to represent Lakeland is something that I’m so proud of and I’m proud of my team as well,” Hall said.
Hall is so proud of her team because it’s the first time in more than a year that Lakeland even has a team. Last year the Dreadnaughts had just two players – herself and Madison Templeton -- and this year the program is up to five girls’ team’s members, including two freshmen, a senior and a sophomore.
And Hall is taking advantage of this situation, becoming a leader as a senior. But she has taken the bull by its horns and has led with wisdom and showcasing what specific shots should look like.
But it also put the game back in perspective for her.
“It kind of keeping the game as soon as possible. It put my own game in perspective and being able to show them the simplest way possible to play golf. I think that’s really helped me because it kept my own game simple,” she said.
This augmenting of her game allowed her to rack up two wins and top three finishes in Hurricane Junior Golf Tournaments.
“I am very proud of her, but her score was not at all surprising to me,” Lakeland head golf coach Richard Pringle said. “She has worked extremely hard for years to get to this point. It is exciting to see her truly excelling in her senior year.”
Team-wise, Lakeland Christian (3rd), Bartow (4th), Winter Haven (5th), Auburndale (8th), Lake Wales (10th), George Jenkins (11th) and Lakeland (12th) rounded out the top 13.
McKeel’s Tavares wins it
Around the way at River Greens Golf Course was McKeel junior Leonie Tavares’ big win at Hawkins/Crutchfield. This her first Hawkins win and one of her better scores thanks to her 70.
“I was extremely pleased at how well she played today as she went against some strong competition,” McKeel head golf coach Jeremy Bohnenstiehl said.
Placing third was Frostproof junior golfer Hannah Castillo who put up a very good 71, which isn’t surprising as she’s been one of the best golfers in the county for a few years now.
Other individual placers in the top 20 were Frostproof junior Ava Griffiths (13th, 82) and Frostproof eight-grader Sophia Laman (17th, 84).
Polk County team finishers were Frostproof (third) and McKeel (fifth).
Barron wins another one
Winning a second big tournament in a row was Bartow senior Blake Barron Monday at Sun N Lake Golf & Country Club thanks to his 71.
This win was at the Turtle Run, with several other local placing in the top 10, including McKeel eighth-grader Ethan Bailey (T-3, 73), McKeel junior Drake Kenney (T-3, 73), Mckeel freshman Jackson Drawdy (T-7, 75) and Lakeland Christian freshman Ling Huang (T-7, 75).
Team-wise McKeel was first, while Bartow (4th), Lakeland Christian (6th), Lake Wales (8th), Auburndale (9th) and Lakeland (11th) rounded out the top 11.
At the Deer Run it was all about Frostproof freshman Jordan Castillo thanks to his fourth-place finish with a 72.
And all Saints senior Barrett Green culminated in fifth place with a 73.
Local squads placing were George Jenkins (3rd), Frostproof (12th), All Saints (14th), and Lakeland Christian (17th).
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland, McKeel, Bartow golfers dominate at Hawkins/Crutchfield