RUSSELLVILLE - El Dorado's reign over the 5A girls golf scene finally came to an end. The Lady Wildcats finished 10th Tuesday in the 5A State Golf Tournament at Russellville Country Club, ending a two-year state title run.
Hot Springs Lakeside won the state championship with 233 followed by Russellville 236.
Senior Hope Walthall scored 85 to lead the Lady Wildcats. Daphny Chen (114) Aubree Ezell (122) and Isabel Clark (131) rounded out the team's scores.
"We really struggled with the 'US Open' style rough at Russellville Country Club. The deep rough was a big factor for us today," said El Dorado coach Chris Ezell. "Tee shots slightly out of the tight fairways led to us hitting shots through the thick rough. It also led to constant searching for golf balls, which made it difficult to maintain a rhythm.
"I am proud of the top 10 finish for this team. Hope has had a tremendous career as a Lady Cat and leaves behind a legacy of back to back (2020 & 2021) state titles and this year's conference medalist."
Walthall shot a school-record 67 last week in the conference tournament.
Lakeside's Maggie Huett shot 68 to win medalist after Russellville freshman Savanna Mann triple-bogeyed the 18th hole.