Salem’s Ashnoor Kaur qualified for the Class 4 state golf tournament with a one over par 73 at the Region 4D tournament Monday. The tournament was hosted by Jefferson Forest at the Ivy Hills Golf Course.
Kaur was one of three individuals who advance to the state tournament at the Heritage Oaks Course in Harrisonburg next Tuesday. Owen Mason of Halifax and Caitlyn Baxter of Amherst also advance along with the top two teams. Blacksburg won the region tournament and Jefferson Forest was second. Jefferson Forest got to compete when Halifax, who finished second at the sub-region, was disqualified from team play due to having an ineligible player.
“It’s been an interesting week in the golf world,” said Salem coach Blaine Hancock. “That (Halifax) player was left off the golf roster that was turned into the VHSL. That caused a lot of drama this week. The ruling that came down was the five eligible Halifax players were allowed to compete as individuals in the tournament.”
Salem’s Kaur got off to a rough start with four straight bogies. Her putting was a struggle early, but then she caught fire. Ashnoor finished her last 14 holes at three-under to post a round of 73.
“Ashnoor’s ball striking was superb today,” said Hancock. “She’s been steady all year for us. Had she made a few putts early, her score would have been elite as good as she hit the ball today.”
Kaur finished sixth on the day out of 38. There was a three way tie for first individual between Blacksburg’s Cameron Sharp, Jefferson Forest’s Cody Cox, and Halifax’s Owen Mason at two-under 70.
