Golf team shocks Reno at Washoe

Douglas girls' golf coach Steve Gustafson was hoping merely to fight for a team playoff spot this season.

All of the sudden, the Sierra League is wide open with one tournament remaining and the Tigers are right in the thick of things.

Douglas shocked perennial league favorite Reno, and the rest of the Northern 4A golfing world for that matter, winning the Sierra League match at Washoe Golf Course Tuesday afternoon by a tiebreaker.

"Reno has been dominating the league all season," Gustafson said. "It felt good to beat them and even better to beat them on their home turf.

"This is a big deal. It's been a long time since Douglas finished first in a tournament, if ever. We had a good week of practice and they went into this match with a positive attitude."

As a five-member team, Douglas finished the match tied with Reno at 510. In the Northern 4A, the sixth player determines tiebreakers.

First-year player Rachel Merino had a strong afternoon, shooting a 114, which was better than Reno's No. 6 by three strokes, securing the victory for the Tigers.

Heather Henderson took third overall with a 92 and Katie Gettman, another first-year player for the Tigers, shot a 94 to tie for fourth.

"Katie's play was extraordinary," Gustafson said. "She broke 100 for the first time this season which is a benchmark all players struggle with. She finally got the monkey off her back and I look for her scores to improve every day."

Douglas' scorecard was rounded out by Michelle Nikkels (102), Kristin Wyatt (109) and Katelyn Lee (113).

"Kristin struggled throughout the day but made a clutch birdie on the back nine, giving her the motivation to finish strong with 109," Gustafson said.

Carson took third, eight strokes behind Douglas and Reno and South Tahoe took fourth.

-- Joey Crandall can be reached at jcrandall@recordcourier.com or at (775) 782-5121, ext. 212.