ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO/WQRF) — The Boylan girls golf team has an exciting summer ahead of them. They get to play one more time with their two graduating seniors, and it’s on the biggest stage yet.
“There’s never going to be a group like us again,” said Boylan golf senior Ella Greenberg.
This team thought their season ended with a second-place finish at the state tournament.
“Another chance to maybe win,” said Greenberg. “I came so close at state, who knows?”
But a text from head coach Robert VanSistine at the end of January told them otherwise.
“Bobby just texted us and was like, hey, we got invited to the nationals, by the way and I was like, oh my gosh,” said Boylan golf senior Tessa Lawson.
The girls will head south in July to compete in the PGA High School Golf National Invitational at the PGA Frisco Golf Campus. This is the first time this tournament has been held there.
“We are going to Frisco, Texas, and it’s a brand new course, and I think we’re going to be the second tournament like to ever play there,” said Greenberg. “And it’s like the official PGA course.”
The invitation-only field consists of golfers from across the country. It’s a three-day, 54-hole stroke play event.
“I think a good goal for us is just to try to do better than we did at state and only compete against ourselves because we don’t know what we’re going up against down there,” said Greenberg.
Boylan is ranked 73rd out of 600 teams across the United States. They are also the first Rockford area team to represent this region at nationals.
“Like to think our team, just a small 1A team from Rockford, Illinois got recognized as a team that could possibly play against all other teams around the whole entire country is awesome,” said Lawson.
This experience will be even sweeter for freshman Demi Hampilos, her first year of high school golf will end on the national stage.
“You didn’t think we could make it this far, but we did,” said Hampilos smiling. “I’m super proud of our team.”
It’s just this group of five lady titans, and now they get one more chance to compete together as a team.
“I think like one last time with the whole team, it’s going to be so fun,” said Boylan golf junior Eva Greenberg. “I’m just so excited just to spend one last time with them over the summer.”
This season, they won the NIC-10 conference, regionals, sectionals, and added a runner-up finish at sate. Now these girls have a chance for even more at the national level — a chance to keep making history.
“Best Boylan golf team, I want to say like ever? So, our names will go down in history, like it’s just crazy to think about,” said Ella Greenberg.
The tournament takes place July 10-12. Why not bring a national championship trophy back to the Stateline?
