McPherson Girls Golf Claims Third Place at State Tournament
Senior duo Kuhn, Buschbom both earn state medals as Bullpups finish third at Carey Park
HUTCHINSON — The McPherson High School girls golf team capped a historic season with a third-place finish at the Class 4A State Tournament at Carey Park Golf Course, battling brutal wind conditions over two days to claim a spot on the podium behind champion Wamego and runner-up Wellington.
Senior Brodie Kuhn led the Bullpups with a third-place individual finish, carding a two-day total of 161 to earn her fourth consecutive state medal. Her remarkable four-year state tournament resume shows consistent improvement: 13th as a freshman, fifth as a sophomore, fifth as a junior, and third in her final appearance.
"Seeing Brodie and Andi tee it up for the last time as Bullpups brought out all of the emotions today," said head coach Fawl. "We started this program four years ago—their freshman year—and it probably would not have happened without them being interested in playing."
Fellow senior Andi Buschbom finished 17th with a two-day total of 172, earning her second consecutive state medal after placing 12th last year. Buschbom displayed tremendous resilience on Day 2, improving her opening round score by an impressive 12 strokes.
Freshman Lleyton Kuhn posted a 186 total to finish 35th in her first state tournament appearance, providing a glimpse of the program's bright future.
Juniors Amelia Moody and Pera Bauer tied for 38th place with matching 190 totals. Moody delivered a strong Day 1 performance, while Bauer showed remarkable determination by improving her second-round score by a stunning 14 strokes—the largest improvement on the team. Junior Addie French rounded out the McPherson lineup with a 52nd-place finish.
The Bullpups came tantalizingly close to claiming second place, finishing just three strokes behind Wellington in the final team standings.
"We battled some tough conditions on Day 1," Coach Fawl said. "We had some bright spots. Brodie played solid and Amelia had a great day 1 round. Day 2 we had some players respond. Andi improved her day 1 score by 12 shots and Pera improved her day 1 score by 14 shots. They all battled and never gave up."
The wind made scoring challenging throughout both rounds, but McPherson's perseverance and mental toughness shined through when it mattered most. The second-day improvements from Buschbom and Bauer proved crucial in keeping the Bullpups in contention for the runner-up spot.
For seniors Kuhn and Buschbom, the tournament marked an emotional conclusion to careers that helped establish McPherson as a legitimate state contender in girls golf.
"Their leadership, growth, and work ethic over these last four years has set the standard," Coach Fawl said. "I am so thankful for both of them. They are tremendous players and very talented, but they are even better kids."
The third-place finish marks back-to-back top-three finishes for the program, matching last season's third-place result. The consistency at the state level since the program's inception four years ago speaks to the foundation laid by this year's senior class.
Greg Loving
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