Annandale Students Excel in Golf Regionals

The high school golf season ended at the Northern Region tournament for all but a handful of players on Tuesday.

While Willie LaBarca of Annandale High School didn’t set the course on fire, finishing tied for 43^rd, he may exemplify the spirit of high school golf. The Atoms’ senior was just the fourth-ranked player on his team during the season, but he managed to earn a spot in regionals based on his play in the Patriot District tournament last week.

“He willed his way here,” said coach Richard McCormack. “Our top three players were probably wondering, ‘How did he make it here?’ But he had a good attitude. He was always positive. He never got moody or down on himself.”

LaBarca said he was glad to get a chance to play in tournament to cap off his golf career at Annandale.

“It feels great the way [my] game has changed,” he said. “I could have done terrible my senior year if I hadn’t practiced over the summer.”

Langley High School, led by top overall player Chris Brugge (74-74-148) won the two-day team title over Chantilly High School by 12 strokes, while Tyler Spears from Lee was the top player competing as an individual.

The top two teams, plus the top six individuals, qualified for the state tournament, to be held next week at Laurel Hill in Lorton. The six qualifying individuals were: Spears, Keon Ho Song (Centreville), Julie Luo (Thomas Jefferson), Matt Ashley (Stone Bridge), Joel Choi (Madison) and Patrick Miller (Herndon).

Luo, a Herndon resident, was the top female competitor at the co-ed tournament. She had the option of playing in the girls’-only state tournament later this month, but chose to play with the boys next week. Her score of 77-75-152 was just four shots behind Brugge.

“I didn’t play well the first day, but it got better today,” said Luo, a freshman. “It was fun, but kind of tough [to play alone]. Next year we’ll try to make it as a team.”

She said a rocky 16^th hole double-bogey almost sunk her round. But she came back to make a birdie on 17.

“I pulled my drive and we couldn’t find my ball in the rough, so I had to go back and hit, and it was three off the tee,” she said. “I’ve played tournaments for a while, so I know how to come back and forget the bad shots.”

Luo said she plans to work on her swing during the next few practice days ahead of the state tournament, since even though she scored well on Tuesday, she didn’t hit many fairways or greens.