One week after competing in the state track and field meet, Lynnville-Sully’s Greenlee Smock was on the links for the Class 1A girls state golf tournament. Smock, who won the Class 1A state tournament last year, was looking to defend her individual title, and she did just that. The junior shot rounds of 75 and 79 on Thursday and Friday, May 26-27, at the American Legion Golf Course in Marshalltown to win her second straight individual championship.
Over the course of the tourney, Smock proved her resiliency and skill on the course. Smock was the only golfer among the best high school golfers competing in the Class 1A tournament to break 80 on the course. She finished nine strokes ahead of the runner-up, the familiar foe of Sigourney senior Madelynn Hornback. Smock hit par 11 of the 18 holes in her final round on Friday. On Thursday, she racked up eight pars. The junior also collected three birdies on opening day of the tourney.
“As a coach, I’m incredibly proud of Greenlee and love that she gets to see her hard work pay off,” said L-S Golf Coach Jeff Knouse. “As a lover of the game of golf, it is so much fun to watch her play. What she’s able to do with a club and a ball is amazing.”
After claiming the Class 1A individual state championship, Smock raced back to Sully with hardware in tow where she quickly changed uniforms to suit up as the Hawks’ starting shortstop Friday evening.
Lynnville-Sully junior Greenlee Smock is no stranger to competing at a high level among the best high school athletes in Class 1A. The five-sport phenom has made a name for herself as a fierce and familiar competitor at state cross-country, track and field, and golf. Last year, Smock won both her and Lynnville-Sully’s first golf title as a sophomore. On May 26-27, she returned to the Class 1A state golf tournament to defend her reign and came home with her second straight state champion title.
“Going into the season, I knew that Greenlee had a good shot to earn another state title this year, but I never made that my goal for her. We took each meet, each hole, and each shot just one at a time. That’s how we approached the state meet this year as well,” said L-S Golf Coach Jeff Knouse.
Smock started the two-day tourney on Thursday, May 26, at the American Legion Golf Course in Marshalltown. She kicked off the meet with a par on her first hole. She followed that up with a bogey on hole two and par on hole three. She bogeyed holes four and six and par on hole five. She captured par on holes seven and eight with a bogey on hole nine.
Her last nine holes of the day were exceptional, starting off with two birdies on hole 11 and 12. She shot a bogey on hole 13 and par on hole 14 followed by yet another birdie on hole 15. On hole 16, she recorded par and tallied a bogey on hole 17 followed by par on hole 18 to finish her first day. After 18 holes of golf on Thursday, Smock was atop the leaderboard with a score of 75.
“After her first round at state, shooting an impressive 75. I wondered to myself, ‘Can she really do it again?’” said coach Knouse. “I never doubted her ability, but it's just so remarkable to win not one, but two state titles. Especially back to back.”
On day two, Friday, May 27, Smock started with par scores on the first three holes and a bogey on hole four. She sliced a par on hole five but got a double bogey on hole six. Hole seven dished her par, which she followed up with a bogey on hole eight before par on hole nine. She had tallied a score of 40 on her first nine holes. Coach Jeff Knouse commented on Smock’s opening nine on the final day of the tourney, saying, “Her second round started strong but got a little shaky from our standpoint, which included a strand of bogeys and a double bogey towards the end of her first nine holes. It always seems worse in the moment, but she again shot a 40 on that front nine, the same score she shot on the first day.”
On the back nine, Smock sandwiched a par between bogeys on holes 10 and 12. She was able to gut out par scores on holes 13-15. She got a bogey on holes 16 and 18 and par on hole 17. She ended her second day with a score of 79 for 154 total swings.
“Her back nine was definitely stronger,” said coach Knouse. “She was hitting the ball better and landing the ball closer. Unfortunately, she just missed some potential birdie and par putts by inches. Still, she was able to minimize any damage and play the game she’s capable of.”
Smock found herself in unfamiliar territory after landing a ball in a sand trap on her final hole of the tournament on Friday, May 27. Smock kept her cool and hit a remarkable shot to land the ball within six feet of the hole. Fans witnessing the shot call it Smock's "best of the day." After she hit the ball with such skill out of the sand trap, Coack Knouse said, "I knew no one would catch her, and she was a state champion yet again."
Smock showed her resiliency, skill, and grace particularly on hole 18, her last hole of the tournament. Coach Knouse explained the junior golfer hit the ball into a sand trap, something she was trying to avoid all tournament. Not deterred, Smock and coach Knouse discussed the options of the unfamiliar territory and “decided just to go for it and try and put the ball on the green.” Coach Knouse said, “She hit an absolutely remarkable shot and put the ball within six feet of the hole. After that shot, I knew that no one would catch her, and she was a state champion yet again.”
Smock, coach Knouse, and Smock’s fans then waited for the remainder of the field to finish competition to see how her score would hold up. When the final golfer finished, it was clear, Smock won her second straight title easily and was crowned the 2022 Class 1A individual state golf champion. She defeated Madelynn Hornback of Sigourney, the state runner-up and fellow SICL competitor, by nine strokes.
“As a coach, I’m incredibly proud of Greenlee and love that she gets to see her hard work pay off. As a lover of the game of golf, it is so much fun to watch her play. What she’s able to do with a club and a ball is amazing,” said coach Knouse.
Greenlee Smock, back-to-back Class 1A individual golf champion.
