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South Jordan Journal

Pair of Bingham golfers top 6A scores; Miners finish fourth at state tournament

Jun 10, 2019 11:56AM ● By Josh Mc Fadden

Carissa Graft (right) and Tess Blair (left) were the top two golfers at the Class 6A girls golf tournament. (Photo courtesy of Brett Boberg)

By Josh McFadden | [email protected]

The Bingham girls golf team wrapped up its season with a strong performance at the Class 6A state tournament, held May 13–14 at Talons Cove Golf Course. The Miners placed fourth as a team in a competitive group. 

While the team came up short of a state crown, the two top golfers at the tournament were both on the Bingham side. Carissa Graft and Tess Blair finished first and second, respectively among all players at the 6A tournament. During the two-day affair, Graft shot a 131, while Blair was six shots back at 137. 

Only four players during the tournament had days where they hit below 70. Graft did it twice, shooting a 65 on day one and a 66 on the second day. Blair started off with a 72 but followed it up with a terrific performance of 65. The two 65s were three shots better than any other competitor on the course. 

“Carissa killed it on day 1 and then kept her head and her patience by shooting a 66 on day 2,” head coach Brett Boberg said. “She's been flirting with greatness all year long; she was just able to put it all together for this tournament. This was a two-day marathon on what is not the easiest course in Utah. To play that sharp for that long is especially impressive.”

Graft will continue playing the sport at the next year. She has a golf scholarship at the Indiana Institute of Technology. 

Meanwhile, Blair was exceptional as well. She also finished second in Region 4, which Boberg said was “the most competitive region in the history of girls golf in Utah.” Blair will play golf next year at Sacramento State University. 

Finishing fourth as a team was a noteworthy accomplishment, but boasting the two best scores was icing on the cake for the Miners’ program. 

“We’re really proud of having the top two girls come out of Bingham High,” Boberg said.

As a team, the Miners shot a 675, 30 shots behind third-place Herriman. Lone Peak and Davis came in first and second, respectively. 

McKayla VanderKooi was third on the team, shooting a 180 during the tournament (91 and 89). Hannah Jorgensen, Kaleah Walker and Alanna Beagley also contributed to the team’s success. 

Bingham had a similar finish last year when it placed third at state. Blair was the overall winner last season, while Graft tied for fifth. Graft improved her tournament score by 13 shots from a year ago.