Golf: Thiravong finishes third at IHSA 1A Rock Falls Sectional

Lady Hub senior notches five birdies, caps off prep career with 76

Russell Hodges
Posted 10/12/20

A birdie on her final hole was a fitting end for Lady Hub senior Megan Thiravong’s prep career with the Rochelle Township High School golf program.

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Golf: Thiravong finishes third at IHSA 1A Rock Falls Sectional

Lady Hub senior notches five birdies, caps off prep career with 76

Posted

ROCK FALLS — A birdie on her final hole was a fitting end for Lady Hub senior Megan Thiravong’s prep career with the Rochelle Township High School golf program.

Representing her city in the IHSA 1A Rock Falls Sectional at Rock River Golf & Pool on Tuesday, Thiravong overcame a difficult eighth hole to card an even-par score on the back nine holes. Behind birdies on the 14th, 15th and 18th holes, Thiravong finished the tournament with 76 and medaled in third place, bringing home one final award in a Rochelle Hub uniform.

“All three of my coaches had so many great things to say throughout the round and they definitely helped keep my morale up when I was having a tough time,” Thiravong said. “My short game was magical today and I had quite a few holes where I was able to go up and down. My putting was phenomenal today and my chipping was even better. I had a few tough holes where I made some mental mistakes that can definitely be fixed the next time I play.”

Thiravong opened the tournament with an early lead, birdying the second and sixth holes to drop two strokes under par before two bogeys and a quadruple-bogey on the eighth hole brought her score up to 40 after the front nine. Thiravong parred the first three holes of the back nine, and after bogeys on the 13th and 16th holes, the senior golf standout parred the 17th hole and sunk a short birdie putt on the 18th hole to round out the back nine with an even 36.

“It was really windy today and there were holes where I had to aim a whole fairway to the left or the right so I could hit the ball relatively straight,” Thiravong said. “The wind threw a lot of players off today and the pace of the greens were a bit slower than I was used to. It was a challenging course, but I thought we adjusted well as we moved from hole to hole.”

The sectional tournament capped off an accomplished high school career for Thiravong, whose prep resume includes two Interstate 8 Conference titles, one IHSA Regional title, three trips to the IHSA State Championships and multiple conference, regional and sectional medals. As she prepares for her future in academics and athletics, Thiravong knows the best is yet to come.

“I walked onto the course today knowing that I had an opportunity to win,” Thiravong said. “I knew I had the skills and I could hit the ball long today. I don’t have any regrets about how I played today. Everything was a learning experience and I’m content with how I played.”