How Karns City standout golfer Chloe Fritch repeated as District 9 golf champion
Some comebacks are subtle, but the one Chloe Fritch pulled off was heard loud and clear across District 9.
The Karns City senior won the Class 2A girls golf title for the second straight year, carding a 78 Wednesday at Kane Country Club.
She won last year’s crown with a 90 at Bavarian Hills Golf Course in Saint Marys. In between, Fritch was forced to invest much of her time rehabbing following a torn ACL suffered while playing basketball for Karns City in January.
As the only girl in the field, she shot 76 and placed third in the KSAC Championship last week at Clarion Oaks. During the regular season, Fritch averaged 41.8 strokes per nine holes.
“I’ve learned to go out and play the game for fun,” Fritch said. “I know everybody says that, but it’s hard. I’m competitive and want everything to go well, but my mindset helped me at the KSAC tournament and it helped again today.”
Oswayo Valley’s Rylee Thompson placed a distant second Wednesday, 10 strokes behind Fritch with an 88.
“I golfed in Kane a few weeks ago, just to get a feel for it,” Fritch said. “It’s a shorter course, but still very challenging. I just had to stay relaxed.”
She did not allow one bad shot to turn into a string of frustration.
“I shot 37 on the front nine, 41 on the back. I missed a couple of par putts, but didn’t double-bogey any hole and that was key for me.
“Off the tee, I had a few fades and draws, but nothing extreme. For the most part, I was in the fairway.”
Fritch, who two months ago won the Butler Eagle Amateur in back-to-back years, will now prepare for her fourth and final state championship tournament. This year’s two-day event will begin Oct. 21 at Penn State University’s Blue Course.
“I need to stay in the right place mentally,” she said. “Other than that, I will spend some time working on my chipping. Getting closer to the pin will obviously help me get a better score. My chips weren’t bad today and that’s just me being picky.”
