The Aguila Golf Course in Laveen is host to an intense three-team race in the AIA Division I Girls State Golf Championships heading into tomorrow's second and final round.

XAVIER

Xavier (300)(+12) leads the pack -- barely -- with Pinnacle  breathing down their neck just one stroke back at (301)(+13) and Perry a few steps back at (305)(+17).  Fourth place is another eleven strokes further behind.

PINNACLE
Pinnacle came out of the gate, fighting like a dog, to take an early lead and maintain it until the 15th hole, when Xavier flipped the narrative to lead by one stroke.

Pinnacle led by one after the first hole and then increased the lead to five by the third hole. From holes four to eight, Pinnacle held advantages of three, four, and five strokes. 

On the 15th hole, Xavier went (-1) and Pinnacle went (+1), allowing the Gators to finally take the lead.

PERRY
Meanwhile, Perry actually led Xavier on four of the first six holes, but they experienced a roller coaster ride throughout the entire first round.

How did Perry ride the roller coaster? 

During their first eight holes they went (+4) on one hole, followed immediately by a score of (-3). After eight holes of play, Perry's team score stood at (+6), just one stroke behind Xavier. 

But from there, Perry took a grueling upward climb from holes nine to sixteen (+2, +2, +1, +4, +2, +1, 0, +1) to reach a team score of (+19). After having reached the highest peak of their day, they went (-2) and par to settle into a round-one score of (+17).

XAVIER INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES

In the fight for her third straight individual title, SR Alexis Lamadrid started out with five pars, one birdie, and one bogey in her first seven holes to sit at even par as she approached her tee shot on the 8th hole.

During her final ten holes, she strung together nothing but pars and birdies to finish the day on top of the leaderboard at (-4), three strokes ahead of second place.

Claire Brooks, just a FRESHMAN, finished in a two-way tie for fourth place with a score of even par: 16 pars, one birdie, and one bogey. Steady play!

Addison Taylor, just a SOPHOMORE, finishes in a three-way tie for 9th with a solid round of (+3): five bogeys and two birdies.

Two more SOPHOMORES, Gabby Doss and Jaina Bhatnagar, round out the Xavier-five with scores of (+13) and (+16), respectively.

ROUND TWO
Tomorrow, the dogfight rages on with Bhatnagar teeing off at 9:20am, Doss at 9:30, Taylor at 9:40, Brooks at 9:50, and Lamadrid at 10:00.

Will Xavier win their fourth State Title in a row?
Will senior Alexis Lamadrid snag her third Individual State Title in a row before riding off into the sunset?

I wish I could give you the answers right now, but they have to play the game.