Pine View Panthers girls golf team wins 3rd straight state championship

Written by Jeff Richards
May 11, 2023

ST. GEORGE — The Pine View High School girls golf team won its third consecutive state championship on Thursday.

Pine View players and coaches with first-place trophy at the 4A girls golf state tournament, Logan, Utah, May 11, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Matt Wieland St. George News

The Panthers posted the best team score on both days of the two-day tournament, which was played at Logan River Golf Course in Logan.

At the end of Day 1 on Wednesday, Pine View’s team score of 345 was five strokes ahead of eventual runner-up Green Canyon’s 250. On Thursday, the Panthers widened their advantage, shooting 339 to Green Canyon’s 356, thereby winning the tournament by 22 strokes.

“For the majority of the day yesterday, I thought we were gonna be playing from behind today,” Pine View head coach Matt Wieland told St. George News as the team was heading back home. “Luckily, we were able to hold a slim lead going into today and built on it all day.”

The Panthers were led by junior Alyssa Butterfus, who stood atop the leaderboard with a 4-over par score of 75 after Wednesday’s round. On Thursday, Butterfus struggled during her front nine holes but managed to add just one more stroke over on the back nine, finishing with a second-day score of 81, earing a third-place tie with Cedar’s RaeLee Johnson.

“Alyssa was the Day 1 leader and was playing some of her best golf of the season so it was a bit disappointing to see her fall this morning,” Coach Wieland said. “But at the end of the day, I honestly think the team championship means more to her than the individual.”

Pine View coach Matt Wieland with his two daughters, Matti (left) and Hallie, with first-place trophy at the 4A girls golf state tournament, Logan, Utah, May 11, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Matt Wieland St. George News

Pine View’s two seniors, Hallie Wieland and Kenzie Owen, ended up with two-day scores of 172, tied for ninth place overall.

“It’s been a good few years for Pine View golf,” Wieland added. “There were definitely some tears watching the seniors putt their final putts today.”

Rounding out Pine View’s team scorecard was Matti Wieland, who shot 96-88, 184.

“There’s been a lot of anticipation for this season, as it’s the only year I got both of my daughters,” Coach Wieland added. “So, to not only get a championship but our third in a row, means more than I can put into words.”

Taking top individual medalist honors was Crimson Cliffs freshman Kate Walker, who followed her 77 on Wednesday with a 74 on Thursday for a total of 151. Coming in second place individually was Ridgeline’s Maddie Fujimoto, who scored 155, while Butterfus and Cedar’s Johnson tied for third with 156 strokes apiece. 

“It was my goal this year to win state and I’m having a hard time believing that it really happened,” Walker told St. George News as the team bus was heading back to St. George. “I play with a lot of these older girls in the summer and at other tournaments, so I knew that the competition would be tough. I was also nervous about facing some girls from Region 11 that I’ve never played against before.”

Walker said that ultimately, she decided to “play my own game and not worry about what other scores could be.”

“My plan was to just post the best score I could and let that put the pressure on everyone else,” she added. “There were a lot of challenges today. Almost none of my tee shots went as planned, but I found my way back to recover. My putter was my best friend.”

Walker said she was also happy to see Pine View take first place as a team.

Kate Walker of Crimson Cliffs tees off during 4A girls golf state tournament, Logan, Utah, May 11, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Jason Walker, St. George News

“They have such a strong core team and they deserve that award,” she said. “I also have to thank our coach Jared Huddleston. He made it so fun this year for the whole team. He always keeps me calm when the pressure is on.”

Southern Utah schools were well-represented at state, with 11 of the top 15 individual scores all coming from Region 10, from six different schools.

Coming in third place overall as a team was Cedar High, which posted a score of 720, edging fourth-place Ridgeline by a single stroke. See full team results, along with the top 10 individual results below this story.

To see complete results, including detailed hole-by-hole scores and stats, click here. 

4A girls golf state championship

Logan, Utah, May 10-11, 2023

Overall team scores, by day, total

  1. Pine View, 345-339, 684.
  2. Green Canyon, 350-356, 706.
  3. Cedar, 358-362, 720.
  4. Ridgeline, 358-363, 721.
  5. Crimson Cliffs, 372-355, 727.
  6. Sky View, 377-382, 759.
  7. Mountain Crest, 387-379, 766.
  8. Bear River, 410-419, 829.

Note: Teams missing the top-eight cut after the first day were Desert Hills, Hurricane, Snow Canyon, Logan and Dixie.

Top 10 individual scores

  1. Kate Walker, Crimson Cliffs, 77-74, 151.
  2. Maddie Fujimoto, Ridgeline, 78-77, 155.
  3. (tie) RaeLee Johnson, Cedar, 76-80, 156.
  4. (tie) Alyssa Butterfus, Pine View, 75-81, 156.
  5. Avery Parker, Green Canyon, 76-81, 157.
  6. Ellie Johnson, Hurricane, 80-79, 159.
  7. Rylee Payne, Desert Hills, 79-82, 161.
  8. Stacie Phelps, Dixie, 84-82, 166.
  9. (tie) Hallie Wieland, Pine View, 88-84, 172.
  10. (tie) Kenzi Owen, Pine View, 86-86, 172.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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