Sports : Tandy finishes HS career with 4th place medal at State

Class 4A top ten with medals.

Halie Engler, team member attended and supported Lauren and Rachel. Pat Zedrick, PGA pro, right

After the finish and awards. Sisters but also best friends: Lauren and Rachel Tandy.

Lauren making her last putt of her individual high school career.

V-S senior Lauren Tandy finished 4th at the State Golf Meet on May 31-June 1, the highest-placing golfer in Vikette history.

Coach's report:

Girls State Golf Tournament

Coldwater Golf Links, Ames: par 71

May 31, June 1, 2016

Weather: 70s, mostly sunny

Vinton-Shellsburg Qualifiers: Lauren and Rachel Tandy

2 day results:

Lauren Tandy 43,44=87

Lauren Tandy 43,40=83

Total: 170

Rachel Tandy 56,50=106

Rachel Tandy 44,42=86

Total: 192

Senior Lauren Tandy finished her high school individual career with an exclamation point at State. Her 36 hole 170 total earned her a 4th place medal and overall finish in class 4A. All teams and individual qualifiers are a part of this competition for medalist honors. By her finish she is named First Team All-State by the Iowa High School Golf Coaches Association. This is the highest State finish during my tenure as golf coach and to my knowledge, the highest finish of any previous Vinton or Vinton-Shellsburg lady golfer.

Sophomore Rachel Tandy played well except for a few holes on day one and was not pleased with her score. The first time as a competitor in a State meet can be very intimidating. However, she showed the second day why she was a qualifier. She conquered the holes that gave her trouble on day one in resounding fashion and cut twenty strokes! Rachel finished 21st overall.

Coldwater is a links course, so a new experience for our qualifiers. It is a very challenging layout with lots of hazards, many bunkers, narrow fairways and large, undulating greens. These scores are a major accomplishment on this difficult course. One veteran coach opined that it is the most difficult course that ever hosted a State girls tourney.

The Tandy sisters both displayed an excellent short game no matter the pin placement. Their focus and concentration served them well; they are great competitors. Playing in the off season and out side of scheduled practice times paid off for them throughout our season. This was evident when they requested returning to the practice range after Tuesdays rounds.

What a fun experience they shared with memories that will last a lifetime. I was very proud of both Lauren and Rachel as well as our entire team. This was a terrific group of young ladies who all contributed to a season to remember!

Special thanks goes to Pat Zedrick, PGA pro from Cedar Rapids, who devoted many hours of instruction with our team and individuals during both the off season and our spring season. We were grateful for his time and expertise.

Lauren and Rachel will participate in the Class 2A State Coed Golf Tournament Tuesday, June 7. They

will return to Coldwater Golf Links with two members of the Vinton-Shellsburg State qualifying boys team, Tyler Stueck and Grant Noren for this one day event.