Miller high school is celebrating one of their own this week as seventh grader, yes, seventh grader, Jayce Pugh won the ‘B’ girls state golf tournament in Brookings on Tuesday.
Pugh, who was sitting in third place after the first day with +13, shot just +5 on day two to win the event by three strokes over Allison Kahler of Bison and Kaylee Johnson of Estelline/Hendricks. They both shot +21 for the tournament.
On Tuesday’s back nine, Pugh shot 2-over with an impressive five pars and a birdie. Coming down the stretch, she said she was trying her best to stay focused.
“I just told myself to keep going and that the next shot is the one that counts,” said Pugh.
As she got to hole 18, her plan was to play it as safe as possible.
“I was nervous because everyone was watching,” explained Pugh. “And I was laying in front of a sand bunker, so I didn’t want it to go in there.”
After avoiding the bunker on the final hole, she settled for a bogey. Knowing that it was over with her on top, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“Right away everyone was clapping and telling me good job,” Pugh stated. “I’m kind of shocked. Again, I was really nervous, but it was fun.”
As just a seventh grader, Pugh has plenty of room to grow yet, and she’s wanting to continually improve her game. Oh, and hopefully win another state title as well.
Jayce Pugh is the first girls golfer in Miller history to win an individual state golf championship
