Katelin Richards won the Alaska State Women’s Amateur Golf Championship before she even entered Kenai Central High School on Sunday at Chena Bend Golf Course in Fairbanks.
Richards, who will be a freshman at Kenai Central, fired a 34-over-par, three-day total of 250 to run away from the competition.
“I’m very excited,” Richards said. “It’s my first State Amateur and it was a lot of fun.”
Teresa Fisher was next in the championship flight at 267, while Connie Johnson, playing in the first flight, had a 258.
Despite the dominant win, Richards said she still tried hard for a low score.
“My score was OK, but it didn’t meet the expectations of what I wanted to shoot,” Richards said. “It was a different course that I hadn’t seen before and I had to keep that in mind.”
But Richards is happy that the win shows she is on track for her goal of playing Division I golf.
Richards said she tied Wasilla’s Rynae Baca for the youngest Women’s State Amateur win at 14, and also tied Baca’s score from that year.
Baca went on to play four years of golf at Southern Utah University.
“That makes me feel encouraged,” Richards said. “It shows I am doing the right things.”
Anika Richards, who is Katelin’s sister and attends Kenai Middle School, was fourth in the championship flight at 278.
“It was a lot of fun for her and a new experience,” Katelin said of her sister.
After the tournament Sunday, the Richards flew from Fairbanks to Anchorage. They will play in the Alaska State Junior Championship on Monday and Tuesday at Palmer Golf Course and Settlers Bay Golf Course.
Katelin has two State Junior Championships, while Anika has three.
Anchorage’s Jordan Miller was the men’s State Amateur winner with a four-day total of 297. Homer’s Chris Morin was 14th in the championship flight at 323.
