LIBERTY LAKE — Charlotte Giffin saved her best round golf for the ultimate stage.
The Cedarcrest High School senior never left much in doubt Tuesday and Wednesday during the Class 2A state girls golf championships at Meadowwood Golf Course in Liberty Lake.
Giffin fired back-to-back 69s and ran away with an individual state championship with a 6-under 138.
“I shot two of my career bests two days in a row, and I just kind of feel in disbelief,” she said. “It’s pretty awesome.”
Giffin took a commanding four-stroke lead into Wednesday’s final round and finished seven strokes in front of her nearest competitor. She capped off her title by going bogey-free through the first 17 holes of her final round.
“She’s shown flashes of this all year,” Cedarcrest coach David McLaughlin said. “I wouldn’t say that she hasn’t put a round together necessarily, but not quite like this. Day one, she was hitting really good irons and making putts. Day two, she just didn’t make mistakes.”
She’s the first-ever Cedarcrest golfer, boys or girls, to win an individual state championship.
Giffin said she hadn’t played at Meadowwood until her practice round before the event, but her final results didn’t show any lack of expertise on the Par 72 course.
“I think she just had an immediate feel for the greens from the first time we started practice putting when we got here on Sunday,” McLaughlin said. “She just seemed to know the speed very well. These greens, for as firm as they are, they hold. She hits a very, very high iron shot and having spin on the ball is nice when greens hold.”
Giffin, who never lost a league match in Wesco during her prep career, credited McLaughlin for helping her through a successful run for the Red Wolves.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without him,” she said. “He just always has such a great attitude and is always encouraging.”
Giffin helped Cedarcrest repeat a fourth-place team finish at the tournament. She’s continuing her golf career at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, where she plans to study to become an airline pilot.
Lakewood junior Kiana Schroeder joined Giffin in the final grouping Wednesday and placed fourth at 7-over 151.
Here’s a roundup of how other local golfers fared after the final round of the 36-hole tournaments:
4A BOYS
SPOKANE — Jackson’s Jacob Kang and Lake Stevens’ Hugo Ramires were the top local finishers at the boys 4A state tournament, finishing in a tie for 18th place at 6-over-par 150, 13 shots behind winner Ryan Takeshita of Sumner at Qualchan Golf Course.
Kang shot a 77 and Ramires posted a 74 in the final round. Kamiak finished in eighth place as a team, with Sumner capturing the team title.
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4A GIRLS
SPOKANE — Kamiak’s Heaven Kim posted a final-round score of 79 to finish in 17th place with a two-round total of 160 at the 4A girls state tournament, 19 shots behind a trio of leaders at 3-under-par at Indian Canyon Golf Course.
Amanda Nguyen (Lewis & Clark), Claire Chang (Issaquah) and Amber Li (Newport) finished tied for first and were headed to a playoff to determine the winner.
Kamiak’s Abbie Dyer made the cut and finished in 26th place with a score of 172.
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3A BOYS
OLYMPIA — Stanwood’s Conrad Chisman shot a final-round 75 to finish at plus-3 overall and in fourth place at the 3A boys state tournament at Indian Summer Golf and Country Club.
Chisman finished with a total of 147, just five shots behind winner Baylor Larrabee of Ferndale, who posted a 71-71 to finish at 2-under. Chisman finished in a tie for fifth place at the 2022 state tournament.
Snohomish’s Palmer Mutcheson shot a two-round total of 153 (75-78) and finished in 15th place. Snohomish also finished in eighth place as a team. Mead won the team trophy.
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3A GIRLS
LACEY — Mountlake Terrace’s Alison Dumo, the lone local 3A girl to make the cut after Round 1, shot a 93 for a two-round total of 188, tied for 48th at the state tournament at The Golf Club at Hawks Prairie. Southridge’s Jillian Hui finished at 1-under 143 to take home the state title.
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2A BOYS
LIBERTY LAKE — Archbishop Murphy’s Eric Leonen finished in a tie for fourth and Nick Ennis in a tie for sixth at the 2A boys state tournament at Liberty Lake Golf Course.
Leonen shot a 2-over 72 in the final round to finish with a score of 143, and Ennis fired a 3-over 73 to finish at 144. Logan Medcalf (70-71) finished at 1-over to capture the individual title.
As a team, Archbishop Murphy finished in third place behind winner Burlington-Edison.
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