Despite a rain-shortened second day of the AHSAA State Golf Championships in Florence on Tuesday, the Spanish Fort girls’ team took home a second straight Red Map trophy as state runners-up from the Class 6A tournament at RTJ The Shoals.

All four qualifying golfers finished in the top 12 individually as the Toros (+36) finished only eight strokes behind state champion Pike Road (+28) over the two-day, 27-hole tournament.

Freshman Sara Carter Hare led the way with a +8 total that included a -2 final day. Seniors Ashlynd Madden (+12 for 8th) and Katie Hallmark (+16 for 10th) as well as eighth grader Ainsley Madden (+19 for 11th) all crowded the top of the leaderboard to help Spanish Fort collect a second consecutive runner-up finish. Ashlynd Madden (fourth) and Hallmark (fifth) also recorded top-10 finishes last year.

Weather interrupts Admirals’ run at hardware

The Bayside Academy boys’ team was one hole shy of wrapping up its second straight Red Map trophy before play was suspended due to thunder and lightning.

The Class 4A boys’ championship was the only one that didn’t finish the nine-hole round on Tuesday so the final scores reflected how the leaderboard looked after Monday’s 18-hole opener which had the Admirals three strokes behind second-place Jackson.

Although Bayside Academy rallied to overtake second place, junior Luke Ferguson was the last Admiral representative who still had to tee off on Hole 9 before the weather forced a change of plans.

Two more local teams finish third

Another pair of Baldwin County teams also finished third in their respective classifications, including the Fairhope boys’ team (Class 7A) and Gulf Shores girls’ team (Class 4A-5A).

The Pirates were paced by the local leader, senior Mississippi State signee Trip Duke, who finished third individually with a -3 total after rounds of 70 and 37. He was joined by classmate and Montevallo signee Miles Miller in the top 10 with an even total after rounds of 70 and 40 for a tie for sixth place.

In the final round, Fairhope broke a third-place tie with St. Paul’s and nearly stole another podium spot but came up one stroke shy of second-place Vestavia Hills.

The Gulf Shores girls’ team used top-10 finishes from junior Rayla Pierce (+21 for 7th) and seventh-grader Evelyn Lamar (+24 for T-8th) for a three-stroke advantage over fourth-place St. Paul’s. Lamar led the way on Day 1 with an 86 before Pierce finished Day 2 with a birdie for a 41.

Eastern Shore individual highlights

Bayshore Christian sophomore Michael Heaton, the two-time defending individual champion, carded a +2 total with rounds of 72 and 38 for fourth overall in Class 1A-2A. His total of 110 was only two strokes behind a pair of golfers tied for second place.

Also from the Eastern Shore, St. Michael Catholic’s Jarrett Johnson became the Cardinals’ first state qualifier in school history with a top finish at the sub-state tournament. At state, Johnson competed on the Class 4A stage that had an incomplete second day but his first round finished with a 95 at +23 for 24th place overall. He parred six holes, including No. 18.

Stewart’s fourth-place finish helps Dolphins take fourth

The Gulf Shores boys’ team was led by sophomore Graham Stewart whose round of 118 registered a +8 for fourth place individually in Class 5A.

Classmate Chris Hand joined him in the top 10 with a 124 for +14 and a tie for 10th overall. The Dolphins took fourth in the team competition with an overall score of 508 for +68.