HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS' GOLF: SEVENTH-GRADER ABEL FINISHES 25TH AT STATES (2023-06-05)

Southern Tier Sports Report
REXFORD — Corning seventh-grader Delaney Abel made her first trip to the NYSPHSAA Girls’ Golf Championship and came home with a top 25 finish.

Abel finished tied for 25th on the day with a two-day total of 166. She had an 80 on Sunday, when she led the tournament through the first eight holes, and she had an 86 on Monday.

Abel had a pair of birdies on Sunday, on the sixth and 17th holes, and she had a birdie on the 14th hole on Monday.

Corning coach Chris Clark knows that Abel was a little disappointed her score on Monday wasn’t as good as Sunday, but he thought she played just as well on tough conditions.

“She played phenomenal,” Clark said. “I think she played really, really good yesterday and then not as good today in her mind. I think she was a little disappointed overall. Through eight holes yesterday she was one-over-par and leading the whole tournament. Goes to show what kind of game she has and how talented she is. Delaney hit the ball just as good today as yesterday, just didn’t core as well.

“She was disappointed from a scoring standpoint with the 80 yesterday and 86 today. Overall tee to green I thought she was one of the 15 best players in the tournament and just didn’t make a lot of putts today unfortunately.”

Clark knows how special it is for a seventh-grader to take 25th in the state.

“To go there with 110 of the best girls around the state and finish 25th as a seventh grader, knowing you are most likely going to be back there the next five years and have five more attempts at it,” Clark said. “It’s really important she got there this year.

“I think there were definitely some nerves being her first year at states. The first day she settled down and played well. I believe she was 14th after day one and to go back today and hit the ball as swell as she did the day before. I think all the scores overall, with the exception of the top three, scored worse today. The greens were a little quicker today, it was a little tougher to adjust for some of the girls there.”
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