SOAP LAKE — A pair of Ephrata High School senior golfers took first-place finishes at the North Central Regional Tournament at Lakeview Golf & Country Club in Soap Lake last week. Payton Hagy finished first overall in the Girls Regional event on Tuesday with a final score of 90, a six-stroke advantage over second-place Ashleigh Willoughby from Wenatchee High School.

Hagy said it was exciting to give her high school golf career the “perfect ending.”

“I have to give a lot of credit to the people that have helped me like Coach Burns, Kennedy Peters, my dad, who have all stood by me and helped me to succeed in golf,” Hagy said.

Hagy said she went into the tournament on Tuesday just aiming to play bogey golf. She said there were a couple of rough holes, but an early birdie helped in pulling away for the first-place finish.

In the Boys Regional Thursday, Ephrata senior Jacob Rawley took first, finishing even with a par-72 round. Chelan High School’s Miles Grossberg took second with a score of 76, while Ephrata sophomore Kenji Pickeral took third with a round of 79. The Tigers took first overall as a team as well.

Moses Lake’s Ashton Park finished fourth overall with a final score of 83.

Rawley said his game around the greens was what he believed to be the difference.

“I had a total of like 27 putts and that’s a pretty good day for me and it seemed like I could get up and down from anywhere around the green,” he said.

Playing at Ephrata’s home course had its benefits. Rawley said playing a course he’s so familiar with means knowing the breaks and the greens in addition to which pins to attack.

Rawley said it was a bummer not getting a shot at a state tournament last season or this spring, but he was happy to have a regional event with so many teams participating. As he gets ready to head off to Whitworth University, Rawley said he wants to work on being more consistent in his game and “narrow everything in a little bit more.”

Girls Regionals scores

T-9. Jaiden Hill (ROY), 113

T-13. Addison Nighswonger (ML), 116

Julisa Trevino (QUI), 117

T-16. Brynn Christensen (ROY), 118

T-20. Karla Nunez (QUI), 122

T-20. Bridget Kaldor (ML), 122

Emily Wurl (QUI), 126

Averie Golladay (WAR), 129

Team results

1. Wenatchee

2. Eastmont

3. Quincy

4. Chelan

5. Omak

Boys Regionals scores

Mason Moore (EPH), 84

T-7. Max Hewitt (EPH), 86

T-9. Nate Gonzalez (QUI), 87

T-11. Kekoa McWilliams (EPH), 89

T-16. RIker Christensen (ROY), 93

T-20. Caiden Gubler (ML), 94

T-24. Carter Burns (EPH), 96

Isaiah Patino (ML), 100

Connor Morgan (QUI), 101

Team results

1. Ephrata

2. Wenatchee

3. Eastmont

4. Chelan

5. Moses Lake