Throughout its four-year run as Division II state champions, the Columbus Academy girls golf team has held relatively close leads after the first round.
Those advantages ended up being insurmountable, and this time the Vikings are making them look miniscule.
Senior Eva Lim’s 4-over-par 74 led four rounds in the 70s, and the Vikings shot 306 as a team Oct. 11 to take a 42-shot lead over Chagrin Falls through the first of two rounds at Firestone Country Club in Akron.
Academy built a 20-shot lead through eight holes, then needed just four holes to double that.
Lim, the two-time defending individual champion, had 10 pars and three birdies, two of which came on the back nine and helped offset three bogeys. She is tied for sixth individually, six shots
behind Cincinnati Madeira junior Ellie Hartung.
Sophomores Niya Chebli and Ava Hammond both shot 77 and junior Claire Zeiger had a 78 to round out the Academy scoring. Senior Meera Srini shot 83.
The final round will be Oct. 12 at Firestone, which is hosting the Division II tournament for the second time in three seasons and which, like much of the state, dealt with on-and-off rain late Oct. 10 and early Oct. 11 because of the remnants of Hurricane Isaias.
Academy led Madeira by 10 strokes after the first day last year, and that ended up being the final margin because heavy rain led to the cancellation of the final round.
The Vikings led by 13 shots through the first round in 2024, four in 2023 and 20 in 2022.
Madeira is third (350), followed by Ravenna Southeast (360), LaGrange Keystone (361), Milan Edison (364), Wauseon (384), Piketon (387), Bucyrus Wynford (393), Delphos St. John’s (394), West Lafayette Ridgewood (397) and Arcanum (416).
Hartung, the only golfer to shoot below par Oct. 11, leads Warren Champion sophomore Avery Robinette by three shots.
Lakewood junior Emery Lingo shot 15-over 87 in her state debut.
Lingo parred six holes and was 4-over through nine but struggled on the back with two double-bogeys.
High school sports reporter Dave Purpura can be reached at dpurpura@dispatch.com and at @dp_dispatch on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Academy girls golf builds big lead at OHSAA state tournament
