SOUTHSIDE SENIOR SEPARATES TO 7 UP

Fort Smith Southside senior Sydney Staton's steady play helped her take a seven-stroke, first-round lead in the Class 7A girls state golf tournament at Centennial Valley Country Club on Tuesday. The second round is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. today. Staton shot a 2-under 70. She was tied at even par after 12 holes with Conway senior Casey Ott, but she birdied two of the final six to take advantage of Ott's late struggles. Staton said putting had been a recent weakness, but after she chipped to within a foot from 50 feet to save par on No. 1, she was convinced it could be overcome. "After I got up and down on the first hole, it just got better and better after that," she said. Ott is in second at 77. Lilly Thomas of Bentonville finished third, one stroke behind Ott. Mount St. Mary's Lauren Loeb is in fourth at 81. Rogers, led by Payton Smith's round of 82, leads the team competition at 255. Bentonville is one stroke back, and Southside is four back in third. Tournament host Conway is in fourth at 268. "There are teams that are of comparable ability out here," Rogers Coach Brenda Alexander said. "I thought we were possibly one of those three or four, but the way golf is, you never know what's going to happen." Rounds of 84 by Amanda Sakalares and 89 by Maggie Mosier also contributed to Rogers' total. Thomas was followed for Bentonville by Kinslee Miller's 82 and Chloe Ellis' 96. "It's going to end up close," Alexander said. "It will be a whole new day tomorrow, but I was pleased with the way we played today." Staton and Ott each played the front nine of the 5,380-yard course in 35. They tied at even through No. 12, but a birdie on the 292-yard par-4 13th gave Staton a one-stroke lead. Staton would also birdie No. 17, a result she said highlighted her round. She played her second shot on the par 4 from 75 yards out, off the fairway in thick grass, and through a narrow gap between trees. It stopped a foot from the pin. Ott's trouble began on No. 15, a 457-yard par 5. Her nearly perfect drive left her with a 5-iron from 180 yards, but she flew her shot over the green. She chunked her subsequent chip, which stopped 40 feet and uphill from the pin. Her first putt rolled 20 feet past the hole, a result Ott said was due to unsuppressed anger. "I was still mad that I had chunked that chip, so that's what happened," she said. Ott's next putt stopped 3 feet short. She missed again to four-putt for double bogey. "That was a hole I thought I should birdie, and then I took a double, and all the momentum kind of changed," Ott said. She bogeyed the final three holes. "I just have to go out tomorrow and play the best I can and see what it does," Ott said. "I'll try to put some pressure on her, but at the end of the day, she's a good player and I'm a good player. Whatever happens, happens."

SOUTHSIDE SENIOR SEPARATES TO 7 UP

Photo Credit: Rick McFarland

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