District champion Staci Pla with her trophy at the Sandhill Crane Golf Club.
On Monday, Oct. 27, the Florida High School Athletic Association’s Class 1A, District 13 girls golf tournament was held at the Sandhill Crane Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens. The event brought together 29 female high school golfers representing the Benjamin School, the Pine School, the Oxbridge Academy, Cardinal Newman High School, Lake Worth Christian School, and two schools from the western communities, the King’s Academy and Berean Christian School.
Of the 29 golfers in the field, the low medalist was Berean senior Staci Pla. While playing from the white tees, Pla recorded a round of even-par 72. In the damp, windy conditions, the 18-year-old recorded four birdies to offset two bogeys and a double-bogey. She concluded her round with a birdie on her last hole of the day, the par-five ninth hole, when she lipped out her putt for an eagle.
Overall, Pla was delighted with her play, especially after her rough start, where she was three over par after her first five holes.
“It was very windy out there today and super wet after Sunday night’s rain,” said Pla, who won the girls district golf tournament as a sophomore in 2023. “It was exciting playing in today’s tournament. My best club in my bag was my 50-degree wedge, where I hit three shots very close to the pin.”
While Pla won the individual competition, the top two teams were the Benjamin School and TKA. The Benjamin School won with a low team total of 301, which was the cumulative score of its top four golfers. TKA was second with a score of 349.
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The five members of the TKA girls golf team were sophomore Sophia Christy (75), junior Lilly-Kaye Vance (86), junior Callie Nelson (93), freshman Selah Nabhan (95) and freshman Reese Pender (96). In the individual competition, Christy finished in fourth place. For Berean, its other golfer in the field was sophomore Sofia Mayer, who shot 115 to finish in 19th place out of 29 golfers.
From Tuesday’s district golf tournament, the top two teams, as well as the top two individuals not on an advancing team — which includes Pla — have earned a spot in the FHSAA’s Class 1A Regional 18-hole tournament to be held Tuesday, Nov. 4 at Crandon Golf at Key Biscayne in Miami. Top performers from that tournament will advance to the Class 1A girls golf state finals, which will be held Nov. 14-15 at the Mission Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida.
Pla is looking forward to the regional tournament at Crandon Golf.
“I like that course, but it is usually super windy with lots of water hazards,” Pla said. “It’s a fair golf course. I’m excited to play it.”
Boys Golf Update —On Tuesday, Oct. 28, high school boys golf teams from the Oxbridge Academy, the Benjamin School, Cardinal Newman High School, Lake Worth Christian School, the Greene School, the Pine School, Jupiter Christian School, TKA and Berean competed in the FHSAA boys Class 1A district golf tournament held in Stuart at the Champions Club at Summerfield. The top three teams were the Benjamin School (282), Oxbridge (285) and TKA (303). Berean finished in ninth place (367).
The TKA golfers were senior Cameron Cantine, freshman Owen Hicks, sophomore Beau Allen, freshman Jacob Melhorn and freshman Hudson Ingram. Hicks had the lowest score for TKA with a two-over par round of 74. He finished in a tie for ninth place alongside Benjamin School junior Charlie Woods, the son of golf legend Tiger Woods.
Berean’s five golfers were eighth graders Mateo Muniz, Aaron Cuetara and David Nichols, sophomore Brogan O’Prey and junior Joshua Sidney. Muniz paced Berean with a seven-over-par round of 79. He finished in a two-way tie for 19th.
The top two teams — the Benjamin School and Oxbridge — plus the top two individuals not on the top two teams — senior Brooks Hansen from the Pine School and junior Lawson Ford from Cardinal Newman — will advance to the Class 1A regional golf tournament on Monday, Nov. 3, which will be held at the Park Golf Course in West Palm Beach. Top finishers will advance to the 36-hole state golf finals on Nov. 14-15 at the Mission Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida.
