Upchurch finishes top 20 at state

Arpan Dixit
Herald Staff
sports@harrodsburgherald.com      

After qualifying for the 2018 girls golf state tournament last week at the regional tournament in Richmond, senior Bekah Upchurch ended her high school career with a top-20 finish at Bowling Green Country Club on Wednesday, Oct. 3. She is the first Lady Titan to ever make it to state in golf.

Upchurch shot 161, a 77 on the first day and 84 on the last day, to finish 12 over and tied for 20th place with Marshall County’s Hallie Riley.

“My goal was to have fun, enjoy my last tournament and to make the cut. Two years ago I barely missed the cut, so I worked  hard to give myself the best chance to make the cut and I did,” she said. “It is a great feeling to see all that hard work pay off and to be placed in the top 20 in the state of Kentucky makes me feel proud going into the next stage of my golf career.”

Upchurch said she has always been told that the region her team competes in  is the hardest region in the state, so she made it a mission to prove that she could make it to that level.

“I wanted to be the first girl from Mercer to make it and I did,” said Upchurch. “It took a lot of time, sacrifices and hard work, but it definitely paid off in the end. The journey definitely had ups and downs, but it also showed me what I am capable of.”

Upchurch’s coach, Jeremy Brummett, talked about the challenges of making it out of the region Mercer County competes in and his thoughts on Upchurch’s performance.

“Coming out of region seven and making it to state is a tough challenge in itself. To show up the first day of state, playing a tough golf course the way she did, controlled and very smart, shooting a 77 is more than I could have asked for,” said Brummett. “I know her main goal was to make the cut and play day two. With the cut set at 82, she was able to cross another goal off her list. We didn’t have as good of a day on day two, but battling through some tough holes, she was able to finished tied for 20th.”

Brummett knows the way she ended her high school golf career at state meant a lot to Upchurch.

“This is an achievement that I know she will hold dear to her heart,” he said. “As a coach, I am so proud of her not only this year but in her high school career in general. I’ve watched her grow over five years to become a great golfer, leader and an even better person.”

Upchurch is looking forward to her future, playing golf at Georgetown College.

“Georgetown has a great golf team and I hope that I can help us get a lot of victories. There is a great group already there and my goal is that by my senior year, I can lead the team to a lot of great victories and continue to compete with the best of the best,” said Upchurch.