Longhorn Girls Golf Ready to Compete in Columbus

With two returning state qualifiers, Kimball Longhorn Girls Golf coach Katie Culek was looking forward to the 2020 season. But like every other coach of a high school fall sport, Culek was apprehensive about whether her team would even get a chance to compete because of COVID-19.

Now, thanks to a third-place finish at the C-5 District in Ogallala, the Longhorns will get to compete as a team at Monday and Tuesday’s Class C State Championships at Elks Country Club in Columbus. Coach Culek credits her top golfer, Payton Wise, for helping lead the Longhorns to the state tournament as a team.

Leading the Longhorns is number one golfer, junior Payton Wise.  Wise, who shot a two-day total 163 to finish third at last year’s state tournament in North Platte, is coming off of a brilliant 76 to capture the Individual Title by 8 strokes at the C-5 District at Crandell Creek Golf Course in Ogallala.

Returning to state for the second year as an Individual qualifier is fellow junior Kaitlyn Heeg. Heeg, the Longhorn’s number two golfer, placed 7^th at the C-5 district with a 98, brings valuable experience from competing as an individual at state last season.

Also competing for Kimball in the team competition are seniors Brooklin Golding and Maddie Cook, along with sophomore Keara O’Brien.

Monday’s tee times for the Kimball Longhorn golfers (CDT). Starting on hole #1, Kaitlin Heeg will tee off at 9:18 AM and Payton Wise tees it up at 11:15 AM CDT. Teeing off on hole #10, Brooklin Golding tees off 9:54 AM followed by Maddie Cook at 10:30 AM and then Keara O'Brien at 10:48 AM.