Chambersburg’s Mary Kate Norcross shows off her silver PIAA medal. Norcross finished in a tie for second in Class 3A at the PIAA Tournament on Tuesday.
YORK — In what was probably the most important round of golf in Mary Kate Norcross’s life, she scored a triple bogey on the very first hole.
But as a testament to her mental strength and skill, she fought back from that potential killing start to rally for a 79 and tie for second place Tuesday at the PIAA Class 3A Girls Golf Championship.
Norcross, a senior, shared a silver medal with Danae Rugola of Conestoga, who shot 78. They tied with a two-day total of 154 at Heritage Hills in York. The winner, Caroline Wrigley of North Allegheny, fired a 73 Tuesday to win by seven strokes.
“I honestly wasn’t thinking about winning at the start of the day,” Norcross said. “I know Wrigley is really good; I’ve seen her play before. She actually didn’t play nearly her best either day.”
On the par 4 first hole, Norcross had to write down a 7.
“I was hitting my drives left on the range, but I found a little something (to change), and I hit the last few straight,” Norcross said. “But on the first tee, I guess I forgot about the little thing and hit one left out of bounds. Maybe I was just anxious.”
Her second drive was fine, but her next shot was hit short and into a bunker. She got out and two-putted for a triple bogey.
But, to her credit, she bounced back by birdieing the second hole, a par 5, hitting driver, 5-wood and wedge to about 10 feet and sinking the putt.
She finished the front nine with a 6-over 42, giving Wrigley a big cushion. But Norcross was only 1-over on the back, with bogeys on 11 and 12 and a birdie on the final hole,No. 18.
Norcross said, “That hole is usually a par 4, and after my drive I only had about 160 left. I hit a hybrid off the back of the green, chipped to about five feet and made a really good putt.”
That birdie meant that Norcross had notched a birdie on the final hole of the District 3 tournament (which she won in a playoff), the Eastern Regional and states.
“It’s neat,” said Norcross, who is bound for St. Francis University next fall. “I got to birdie the last hole of my high school career. That’s a really good ending.”
Trojan coach Mark Yost said, “We’re very proud of all Mary Kate has accomplished in her four-year career. It was great to see all of her hard work pay off with a medal.”