Birdie/eagle finish helps decide High School Invitational golf

A birdie/eagle finish by Lexington’s Gracyn Burgess pushed the Wildcats to a sweep of team and individual honors at the High School Invitational, capturing the team title by six strokes after Sunday’s final round at The Sanctuary at Cat Island.

Burgess, No. 2 in the state junior rankings, held a two-shot lead after Saturday’s opening 69 but struggled with just one birdie through Sunday’s first 14 holes. That left her two shots behind top-ranked Kathleen Sumner (Bishop England) before regaining her rhythm.

A birdie at the par-4 18th — their 15th hole of the day after starting at No.4 — pulled Burgess within a stroke. After both parred No.1, a two-shot swing at No. 2 pushed the Lexington golfer in front when she birdied and Sumner left herself with bogey.

Burgess added the exclamation point with her holeout for eagle at No.3, closing out a 1-under-par 71. Sumner’s second straight bogey dropped her to a 72 and a share of second with fast-closing Smith Knaffle of St. James (68).

Lexington and Bishop England also went 1-2 in the team standings, with Isabella Rawl (72-78) also helping the Wildcats open their six-stroke margin. St. James, runner-up by a stroke last year, was a distant third Sunday.

Bluffton’s Sophia Burnett finished with a share of fifth individually after rounds of 76-73, earning a spot on the all-tournament team. The Bobcats placed sixth as a team, with reigning SCISA champion Hilton Head Christian down in 14th.

This story was originally published September 25, 2016 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Birdie/eagle finish helps decide High School Invitational golf."