Ward Melville's Ella Girard wins Suffolk girls golf title
Ella Girard of Ward Melville poses with the championship trophy after winning the individual title at the Suffolk girls golf individual and team championships on Tuesday at Middle Island Country Club. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
After two years of waiting, Ward Melville junior Ella Girard is back on top.
On Tuesday at Middle Island Country Club, Girard won her second Suffolk County girls golf championship. Overall in the two-day, 36-hole championship, she shot a 14-over-par 156 to clear the pack by five strokes.
Three years ago, Girard won the Suffolk County girls championship as an eighth grader. Young and less mature then, she thought that would be an annual occurrence.
“I feel like last year and the year before, I went in thinking that I’ve won it before, so I’ll win it again and again,” Girard said. “I was really humbled by that. It really taught me that I had to put the work in. I had to compete hard and make it to the top again.”
Girard kept a consistent mindset at every hole across the two days, which was reflected by her performance. On Monday, she shot a 38 on both the front and back nines, which were the Dogwood and Spruce Courses. On the same two courses on Tuesday, she shot a pair of 40s to win it, edging out Southampton freshman Elie Poremba.
“Today, I think I came with this drive that I was not going there to lose,” Girard said. “I wasn’t letting the last five months of work go to waste. I’m not losing. I wanted it just so badly.”
After entering Tuesday tied with Poremba at 76, Girard parred the first three holes of the Dogwood Course, as well as on the sixth and seventh holes, to help herself build a two-stroke lead on Poremba.Girard shot no worse than a bogey on the other holes.
On the back nine, Girard never relinquished the lead. Back on the Spruce Course, Girard parred on the 11th while leading by only a shot to restore her two-stroke cushion. She then parred five of the next six holes, including four in a row from the 14th through the 17th. Her pars on the 15th and 16th gained her four additional strokes on Poremba.
“I think it helps that I knew the feeling of winning this tournament from eighth grade,” Girard said. “It keeps me going. I already know that by the 18th hole, all those people are going to be standing there watching me, and I’m going to be able to take home my title. That’s what really motivates me.”
Despite finishing second individually, Poremba’s 19-over 161 helped Southampton/Pierson’s top five finish with 946 total strokes — 25 clear of Ward Melville to win the team county championship.
It was Southampton/Pierson’s second consecutive county title.
“I’m very proud that I was able to do it again this year,” Poremba said. “I felt like I really helped last year, and this year, bringing our whole team together and being able to go back to states. I’m really proud that I was able to be a major part of that.”
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.
