Discovery Canyon wins 4A state golf title; first girls’ championship in school history
AURORA • When Discovery Canyon girls’ golf coach Mark Liggett saw his preseason roster of just a handful golfers, mostly underclassmen, he wasn’t sure how the 2021 season would shake out. But just a week into the season, he changed his tune.
And two months later, they are state champions.
Though young, his team’s bond and talent were unmatched and Discovery Canyon made history on June 22, winning the school’s first-ever girls’ state championship and second overall. The Thunder dominated the Class 4A state golf tournament with a final score of 485, beating second-place Windsor by 34 strokes.
The Discovery Canyon boys’ golf team won the school’s first state championship in 2016.
“It’s awesome to see the girls’ program come up and do this,” Liggett said. “I told the girls earlier, I think you guys won by a little more than the boys did, so that’s an awesome thing.”
The 2016 boys’ team won the title by 15 strokes — the girls more than doubled it.
Sophomore Emily Cheng was the top local finisher, placing third after shooting a 78 on Day 1 and a 74 on Day 2.
“My drives yesterday were all over the place, so I came back after the round to just straighten out my driver,” Cheng said June 22. “I took that from the range onto the course today and I was hitting most of the fairways, so I was pretty happy with that.”
Cheng was in second for most of Day 2 but ran into trouble on the 18th hole. First, Mullen’s Sofia Choi shot an eagle on the 18th to jump into second place, then Cheng’s drive on the 18th landed in the native and she was forced to take an unplayable and bogeyed the final hole.
After missing state as a freshman because of the pandemic, Cheng said she felt she adjusted well to the new environment and is excited for the potential in her future.
“It just gets better from here on,” Cheng said. “I feel more confident going into next year, I know I can get so much better with practice, so it gives me a lot of confidence.”
Christina Cheng shot a 42 on Day 1 but improved drastically to finish six-over par on the final day to place 14th. Mena Song-Lew tied for 15th with a 91 on Day 1 and a 78 on Day 2, and Lauren Jaworowski tied for 23rd with an 89 and an 86.
“Doing well and my team doing well too is bringing more attention to girls’ golf,” Cheng said. “Everyone is always like, ‘Oh … golf,’ but now I feel like we are going to make it cool.”
Contact the writer: lindsey.smith@gazette.com
The Discovery Canyon girls’ golf team celebrates winning the 4A state championship
Discovery Canyon’s Emily Cheng placed third at the Class 4A state championships at Common Ground Golf Course on
June 22. She helped her team win the 4A team championship.
ABOVE: Discovery Canyon’s Emily Cheng placed third at the Class 4A state championships at Common Ground Golf Course in Aurora on June 22. She helped her team win the 4A team championship.
The Discovery Canyon girls’ golf team huddles to celebrate winning the Class 4A state championship on Tuesday, June 22 at Common Ground Golf Course in Aurora.