Henkel shoots 60 as girls golf returns

For the first time since March 11th high school sports competitions took place in Michigan on Wednesday.

Mona Shores hosted a 13-team girls golf invitational at Stonegate Golf Club with the likes of defending division two team state champion Forest Hills Northern in the field.

"It couldn't be better," Forest Hills Northern girls golf coach Kent Graves said. "We lost our spring season last year for everything, it has been a tough summer. We have a perfect day, we were able to get back out here on the course and we are in heaven."

East Grand Rapids junior Meg Simon is a three-sport athlete that lost her entire tennis season last spring.

"It was really fun," Simon said when asked what it felt like to compete in a high school sport again. "Obviously there hasn't been a lot of action this summer so to get out today was really fun for the first event. Everyone did pretty well in my event so it was fun."

Simon was part of a group that included Forest Hills Northern senior Lilia Henkel who shot an incredible round of 12 under par 60 to win medalist by a large margin.

I felt overall just really good," Henkel said. "Nothing was super exceptional nothing was super dramatic I just tried to play what was in front of me just tried to play my shots and everything was obviously on but it just felt like a normal round where I just wanted to go out and play."

Henkel shot an eight under par 28 on the front nine and said she couldn't help but think about the magic number in golf of 59.

"I believe it was the 11th hole I was on the tee box and I go 'I'm shooting 59.' That's my goal," Henkel said. "After that I just have to go play golf and not worry about the score but that was what was in my head."

Henkel came to the closing par five 18th hole needing to make a three to shoot 59. Her eagle chip just rolled past the hole and she made the birdie putt to finish off the best round of he career so far.

"I am really proud of myself for the 60," Henkel said. "But I am always a person that strives to be better and that one stroke away from 59 is a little salty but it's alright.

Forest Hills Northern won the invitational with a team score of 312, Montague was second and East Grand Rapids was third.