Donaldson won Jill Darr, then district and regional titles in stellar junior year; plus 4 more named to all-area team
LIVE OAK — Ryan Donaldson entered the season with high expectations.
Prior to the first match of the year, Donaldson and Suwannee coach Damon Wooley put together the list of goals for her junior season.
They didn’t shoot low either. Instead, Donaldson aimed for a perfect record in regular-season matches and achieving what the pair call the high school Grand Slam: winning the Jill Darr Invitational and then sweeping the postseason events by capturing individual titles at the district, region and state meets.
The Grand Slam eluded Donaldson as she placed 16th at the class 2A state tournament, but the rest of those goals, she checked off her list. She also added one additional accolade: the Lake City Reporter Girls Golfer of the Year.
“We came up with a game plan and a goal and we worked our way down the list all year, it was great,” Donaldson said. “Fell a little short at state, but I executed the game plan pretty good.
“I got a few more patches on my letterman’s jacket this year so that was pretty good.”
Pretty good would be an understatement in describing Donaldson’s junior campaign at Suwannee. She averaged an area-low 35.5 per nine holes as she finished as the medalist in every match the Bulldogs played during their regular season.
She then followed that up by shooting an even-par 72 to win the District 2-2A title by two strokes. Then, after a tough stretch at the Region 1-2A tournament, Donaldson regrouped to take capture that medalist honor as well with a 2-under 69 to edge Stanton’s Lily Chiang by a stroke.
That round at Quail Heights Country Club was Donaldson at her best, according to Wooley.
After making the turn, Donaldson hit a rough patch on the second hole when an attempt to get out of the rough after pulling her tee shot instead hit a limb and sent the ball sailing out of bounds. Donaldson also was unable to get a putt to fall, having to settle for a triple bogey on the hole and an over-par score at the time.
But a par on the par-3 third helped settle Donaldson back down and led to birdies on three of her final four holes to hold off Chiang, who had been racing toward the finish as well until a pair of late bogeys forced her behind Donaldson.
“That showed a lot of guts to battle like that,” Wooley said, noting that she trailed Chiang by a handful of strokes following her triple bogey. “She had to clutch up. That, to me, takes some grit and guts.”
That grit, that toughness exemplifying her mental maturity was one of the areas where Wooley believed his star pupil made her greatest strides this past season from her already stellar game — she has qualified for state four times and had won the district crown her freshman season at Suwannee as well.
With that growth, Wooley said it is easier to understand that there are days when you just don’t have your best game. Those days, when one area isn’t sharp, is what separates the best golfers, those that realize they will have to make up for it in other areas.
It helps, too, Wooley said, that Donaldson has always been a good ball striker and she regained her confidence on the greens after a rare slip up late last year.
To Donaldson, that maturity showed up in how she played certain courses. She said she featured an aggressive approach, but one that also was calculated.
“Taking advantage of holes I knew I could score on and then just staying patient throughout the entire season, not trying to force low scores but working my way through the golf course, one hole at a time,” she said.
But Donaldson matched that mental maturation with some physical growth as well. Wooley said some additional strength and growth translated to additional length off the tee box.
That distance in her shots helped by making approaches to the green easier. It also provided some extra confidence as she noticed the gains.
“She even bragged to me about it at state this year,” Wooley said. “‘Coach, do you remember so and so, remember how far she hit it past me before? I was hitting it past her by a mile.’
“It gives you an advantage.”
Donaldson said there was one additional added element to her game this year, too. In September, she committed to playing collegiately at Oklahoma. Finalizing that college decision, having her spot locked in at a Division I program, provided a boost as well and freed her game up..
“It gave me a sense of accomplishment and took a lot of pressure off myself to go out and perform every week,” Donaldson said. “Just go out and have fun.”
That included quite a lot of fun on Oct. 24 at the Jill Darr Invitational. The first leg of that Grand Slam was secured with a personal-best round. Donaldson fired a 10-under 62 to win the prestigious event by three strokes.
It was a day that Donaldson won’t forget. And not just for her own play, either.
“That tournament, for us, all five of us shot our lowest 18-hole round ever,” she said. “We were just so happy. Getting to celebrate with the girls was so great.”
ALL-AREA TEAM
Ryan Donaldson
Suwannee, junior
The LCR’s two-time Girls Golfer of the Year had an area-best 35.5 nine-hole average and was a medalist seven times, which included winning the Jill Darr Invitational with a 10-under-62. Her postseason performances included winning the District 2-2A tournament with an even-par-72 as well as the Region 1-2A tournament with a 2-under-69. She ended the year tying for 16th at the Class 2A state tournament.
Alison O’Brien
Columbia, senior
Led the Tigers with a 38.7 nine-hole average, was a medalist three times and placed a team-best 12th at the Jill Darr Invitational. Went on to finish runner-up at the District 2-2A tournament with a 74 and placed 14th in Region 1-2A before tying for 29th at the Class 2A state tournament.
Megan Ruwe
Columbia, junior
Finished the year with a 41.5 nine-hole average and was a medalist twice. Placed third at the District 2-2A tournament with a 79 and finished 19th in Region 1-2A before tying for 63rd at the Class 2A state tournament.
Rayna Hardin
Columbia, sophomore
Had a 46.4 nine-hole average and placed fourth at the District 2-2A tournament with a 74. Went on to finish 20th in Region 1-2A and then 79th at the Class 2A state tournament.
Claire Bond
Branford, sophomore
Led the Buccaneers with a 39.0 nine-hole average, was a medalist 13 times and finished 11th at the Jill Darr Invitational. Placed third at the District 3-1A tournament and 13th in Region 1-3A with a pair of 86s.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Chet Carter, Columbia
Led the Tigers to a 14-1 record in dual matches, a fourth-place finish at the Jill Darr Invitational and the District 2-2A title for the fifth straight season, which they won by 74 strokes. Carter’s squad went on to finish third at the Region 1-2A tournament and qualify for state, where Columbia placed 14th.