Southampton's Elie Poremba wins her second Suffolk girls golf title
Elie Poremba of Southampton/Pierson with her coach Edgard "Hikey" Franklin after winning the Suffolk girls golf championship at Pine Hills Golf & Country Club on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. Credit: Photograph by Sam Johnson
It had been three years since Southampton sophomore Elie Poremba won the Suffolk individual girls golf championship as a seventh-grader in 2023. After losing to Glenn alumna Palwasha Ali in 2024 and current Ward Melville senior Ella Girard in 2025, Poremba learned exactly how hard it is to be the best.
Now, she is back at the top.
Over Monday and Tuesday, Poremba fired a 12-over 158 at Pine Hills Golf & Country Club in Manorville to win the 36-hole Suffolk championship tournament. She took a six-stroke lead after shooting a 5-over 78 on Day 1 and secured the victory with a 7-over 80 on Day 2.
Overall, Poremba shot par on 21 holes and had four birdies.
“I didn’t think it would happen for me every year, but I definitely thought the next one would come sooner,” Poremba said. “I felt like, I did this on my first try, I should be able to do it again easily, but obviously it was a little more difficult than I thought. … I thought maybe everyone was getting better and I’m not. I’ve been trying so hard to do this and I’m so proud of myself.”
Poremba and Girard’s routes to their second titles are nearly identical. Girard won the Suffolk individual championship as an eighth-grader in 2022 before watching Poremba and Ali win it the following two years. Girard then climbed back to the top with a victory in 2025 as a junior.
Girard and Poremba entered Day 2 of that 2025 tournament tied before Girard pulled away to win it. By staying close with Girard on a day where she reclaimed the county’s top spot, Poremba realized that perhaps she can accomplish the same thing.
“Just being tied with her made me think that maybe I could do this,” Poremba said. “There’s not many people that have done that, so it’s really cool that both of us have done it now. I definitely respect her; she’s a great golfer and a very nice person.”
Girard, who finished third this year with a 20-over 166, was pleasantly surprised by the influence she had on Poremba.
“It’s really cool to hear someone who I’ve never really opened up with say that,” Girard said.
Riverhead sophomore Madison Marshak placed second with a 15-over 161.
Poremba’s performance helped lead the combined Southampton/Pierson team to its third consecutive county title. Southampton/Pierson finished with 951 total strokes, 15 fewer than second-place Ward Melville.
Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.
