SEQUIM — A little bit of home cooking was beneficial to Sequim’s Zoei Zbaraschuk’s golf game in the final round of the Washington Junior Golf Association’s (WJGA) District One Championships on Tuesday.
The Sequim High School senior-to-be finished second overall at the tournament on her home course at Cedars at Dungeness Golf Course after posting a 75 in Tuesday’s final round.
“I played really, really well,” an excited Zbaraschuk said of the final round.
Bellingham’s Jessica Davis won the tournament with a two-day total of 152, followed by Zbaraschuk with a 154 and Mukilteo’s Rachel Choi with a score of 157.
Davis and Zbaraschuk are friends after having played against each other since their sophomore year of high school, including in May’s Class 2A State Tournament where Davis finished seventh and Zbaraschuk placed ninth.
Tuesday’s score tied the career-low Zbaraschuk set during the 2009 Sequim High School golf season.
Rallies on front nine
Finding herself 4-over on her round through the first seven holes, Zbaraschuk rallied just before the turn, birdieing the par-3 eighth hole and the par-4 ninth to close the front nine with an upswing in confidence.
“I was really just trying to stay with my game and keep focused out there,” Zbaraschuk said.
Zbaraschuk built on those two birdies with a series of pars on the back nine before making her move to claim a berth in next week’s state tournament with a birdie on the par-4 16th hole.
The birdie moved her into a one-shot lead for the final ticket to state over Choi.
Zbaraschuk closed the round with two pars while Choi finished bogey-bogey.
“After she bogeyed it [No. 17], I was pretty stoked that I got to go to state,” Zbaraschuk said.
The second-place finish ensured Zbaraschuk a spot at the WJGA State Tournament next week at Glendale Golf and Country Club in Bellevue.
Sequim’s other entrant, Ryan O’Mera, missed out on a state tournament trip in the 14-15 boys division after shooting an 84 on Tuesday.
“I really didn’t play the best that I could,” the soon-to-be Sequim High School sophomore said.
O’Mera finished with a two-day total of 167 for in the district championship tournament.
