ALLENDALE — “She was all business.”
That’s how Bloomfield Hills Marian girls golf co-coach Cathy Fritz described Shannon Kennedy’s temperament at last weekend’s MHSAA Division 3 golf championship.
Kennedy shot 70 and 73 — three-under 143 — at The Meadows at Grand Valley State University to win medalist honors and lead Marian to its first state team golf crown.
The slender 5-foot-11 junior won Division 2 state individual honors as a freshman two years ago. She finished third last year.
“Shannon played two perfect rounds of golf,” Fritz said. “She was smart. Focused.”
Fritz revealed that Kennedy was dealing with some changes in her swing over the summer. “It wasn’t until halfway through the high school season that she honed them down.”
There were some holes on the Grand Valley course where you wouldn’t use the driver, Fritz said.
“She knew where and when to put it away,” Fritz said. “But when she did, she did extremely well. Right down the middle.”
Shannon’s commitment to winning rubbed off on her teammates: Marlo Hudson 79-91-170; Sarah Kuredjian 91-98-189; Lauren Sass 95-94-189; Laura Emerson 105-96-201. The four best rounds are used for the team’s tally.
Marian’s 689 total was three strokes better than runner-up and defending D3 champion, Flint Powers Catholic.
“(Co-coach) Leon (Braisted) and I are happy that we happen to be the coaches of the team champion,” Fritz said.
Here’s how other CHSL golfers fared:
Division 2 — Farmington Hills Mercy finished fourth. Elyse Zurawski shot 92-85-177.
Division 3 — Charlotte Thibault of Warren Regina shot 81-84-165 for eighth best among top 10 all golfers and first among individual qualifiers.
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood finished eighth. Ashley Cong had 88-89-177.
Dearborn Divine Child came in ninth. Zeinab Saad shot 88- 87-175.
Macomb Lutheran North was 16th. Sarah Doletzky had 89-99-188.
Division 4 — Ann Arbor Greenhills wound up ninth. Aarushi Ganguly 82-87-169 wad fourth among top 10.
Wixom St Catherine finished 11th. Sara Haupt 85-79-164 was second on the top 10 list.
