Nevada teams up to win its first Lady Tiger Invite

Saturday, September 25, 2021
Nevada High School head golf coach Brian Leonard celebrates with his team after winning the Lady Tiger Invitational Friday at Frank E. Peters Golf Course. The victory marked the first time NHS has won the event, which Leonard created 17 years ago in his first season with the program.
Photo by Hank Layton | Daily Mail Sports Reporter

Brian Leonard could not help himself.

When presenting the first-place plaque to his Nevada High School girls golf team after the Lady Tiger Invitational Friday afternoon at Frank E. Peters Golf Course, the long-time head coach let everyone in attendance know how much it meant to him to win the event for the first time since he created it 17 years ago.

“I told them that I started this tournament before they were all born,” said Leonard, who, with tears in his eyes, celebrated by huddling up with seniors Katie Pennington and Libby Barrett, junior Riley Severance, sophomore Paige Hertzberg, and freshman Emree Cameron (whose one-under-par 71 won the individual title, her fourth in a row) in front of the scoreboard outside the clubhouse. “They just don’t understand what winning your own tournament means. And I know a lot of other teams have done this, but it’s just nice to be able to say, ‘First-place team: Nevada Lady Tigers.’”

Despite windy course conditions and some stiff competition — most notably Carthage, which had beaten Nevada in each of its previous two tournaments — the Lady Tigers used their home course advantage to put together the team’s best round of the season. The Lady Tigers’ combined score of 375 topped Carthage by 10 strokes.

In addition to Cameron’s excellent play, NHS for the first time had two other golfers shoot below 100 in Pennington (97) and Severance (98). It was Pennington’s personal best, as well as the second meet in a row that Severance shot in the 90s.

“It meant a lot because we got to beat Carthage, but it also meant, in the first time in 17 years, we have a victory at this course,” said Pennington, who battled some nagging injuries to shoot a 48 on the front nine and 49 on the back to place fifth overall. “We’re all definitely going to try and get in the 90s by districts, and then hopefully we can all go to state.”

Severance had one of the best putts of the day, an 18-footer on the par-4 no. 13 that she sank for birdie.

“I’m thinking, okay, she’ll two-putt and get out of there for par,” said Leonard, who was carting around the course trying to watch as many of his players as he could, and happened to witness Severance’s birdie. “And I was driving up to the green and all of a sudden I saw a ball go in the hole, and I’m yelling and she’s laughing at me.”

According to Severance, putting was what saved her game on the day — though getting the ball headed in the right direction certainly helped, too.

“It just starts with a good drive, and then you feel good throughout the hole,” said Severance, who shot a 51 on the front and 47 on the back, good enough for sixth place. “It feels really good. Half of us are crying. It was emotional.”

Nevada High School freshman Emree Cameron chips onto the green during her first-place individual performance at the Lady Tiger Invitational on Friday.
Photo by Hank Layton | Daily Mail Sports Reporter

Cameron, who has played on very few teams during her junior golf career, shed a few tears, as well — something she was not expecting to happen before she began her high school campaign.

“He was crying, and then he made me cry,” Cameron said of Leonard. “For the women’s golf team, we haven’t won a home tournament in 17 years, so it’s definitely awesome to come out here and be able to win, especially with this team. I love my team. It’s great to be able to win with them.”

Cameron set a new program record for low individual score and was in command early, scoring her first birdie on the par-3 no. 4 before sinking another one on the par-4 no. 6 to finish with a 2-under 34 on the front nine. She then birdied the par-5 no. 10 and par-4 no. 12 to get to 4-under — but heavy wind gusts and some missed putts dealt her her first bogeys on the par-4 no. 14, par-5 no. 18, and par-3 no .18 — though she did nearly chip in an eagle on the par-4 no. 16 — for a 1-over-par 37 on the back nine.

“I always pay attention to it, but today I had to throw grass up every second. Even if I’m about to hit, just have to always make sure,” Cameron said of the wind. “I always feel like I can improve my game, even just the simplest things. But if I can improve some things, pick up some strokes, I feel like my game will be good by the time districts and state comes.”

For Leonard, being able to coach an individual champion in a tournament is special, but having an entire team succeed means so much more — especially at home.

“That was my main goal when [Cameron] came into this season. I wanted her to be a part of this team. And I knew the team would welcome her in. And she is learning to know that this team is behind her all the way. That’s emotional for me, too, that she’s learning to trust me and she’s learning to trust the team and be part of this team. So, that’s a great thing,” said Leonard, who also got a 109 out of Hertzberg and a 118 from Barrett. “Paige is right there, too. She’s hoping to break that century mark to get under 100. Like I said, if we can do that at the district level, we’re probably going to win districts and head the whole team to state.”

FROM LEFT: NHS head coach Brian Leonard, freshman Emree Cameron, seniors Katie Pennington and Libby Barrett, sophomore Paige Hertzberg, and junior Riley Severance pose with their first-place plaque.
Photo by Hank Layton | Daily Mail Sports Reporter

And even if they don’t, the Lady Tigers — specifically those two seniors — will always have Friday’s win.

“When I saw that fifth place on that sheet, for her last home tournament, she’s played here four years, it’s very emotional and I’m glad she got that opportunity and stepped up and did that,” Leonard said of Pennington, who along with the rest of the team will be home again on Tuesday for a match against Butler. “It was very touching to win this with these girls.”

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