Swofford gets 12th, Leiken 29th at state

Two Vandalia juniors participated in the state golf tournament this past weekend, and both came away with top-30 finishes.

Blake Swofford finished in a tie for 12th place at the boys tournament, and RaeChelle Leiken finished in a tie for 29th on the girls side.

Leiken, who was making her third overall appearance at state, but her first at the Illinois state tournament, said she was disappointed in her finish at Red Tail Run Golf Course in Decatur.

Her goal was to finish in the top 10, which would have continued her pattern from Oregon, where she finished in the top 30 as a freshman and top 20 as a sophomore, but she said that because Illinois is a more populous state, there are more strong golfers.

“To be honest, I’m not really happy with how I played,” Leiken said. “But a lot of people keep saying how good I did.

“I guess I can’t do much complaining, since it’s a big state,” she said. “There is more depth here.”

Leiken shot a 173, with an 88 on Friday and an 85 on Saturday, finishing in a tie with three others. The winning score was 148.

Leiken said she had significant problems with “shanking” her drives for the first time, but her short game was so precise that it, at times, counteracted those missed drives.

She had a pair of birdies, with the first coming on hole 18 in the first round, and the second on hole 7 in the second round.

“My putting was so on top of its game at state, which not many people can say,” Leiken said. “My short game saved me over the weekend.”

Also a standout for the volleyball team, Leiken said it was difficult to balance the time practicing for both sports, but she hopes she will be able to participate in both next season.

Swofford said his goal was to finish in the top five, but that he would be satisfied with a top-15 finish.

He was tied for fifth place after the first round, with a 77, but a string of bogeys during the second round led him to a round of 82, for a total of 159. The winning score was 150.

Swofford bogeyed holes 10-14 before driving to within 5 feet of the cup on the par-3 15th, on which he earned a birdie.

“I was pretty happy,” Swofford said of that hole. “That was probably my worst bogey streak in three or four years.”

He said he knew he was among the leaders throughout the tournament, but that he was not feeling as nervous as he has felt in some past tournaments.

On day one, he had a birdie on hole 2, a par four, and on hole 4, a par five. On day two, he also hit a birdie on hole 4.

As expected, the conditions at Prairie Vista Golf Course in Bloomington were windy, and Swofford hopes he can practice in the wind more often next season in preparation for his hopeful return.

Hole breakdown
Leiken
•Birdie: 2
•Par: 13
•Bogey: 12
•Double-Bogey: 8
•Triple-Bogey: 1

Swofford
•Birdie: 4
•Par: 15
•Bogey: 15
•Double-Bogey: 2