Ash Grove’s Allred reflects on third straight state golf title

AGHS junior hopes to make it four next year, plans continuance, dedication to practice in off season to reach goal
 
Rylee Allred, a junior from Ash Grove, has won her third straight Missouri Class 1 singles golf championship. Allred has won first prize every year of her high school career, with a chance for one more on the way next year.
Allred has been playing competitive golf since she was nine. It has become a big part of her life, taking up most of her free time. That dedication is part of why she has been able to play at such a high level, she said. Starting in the beginning of spring, Allred will practice golf almost every day that she can, weather permitting, and leading up to the state tournament. She practiced for nearly 40 consecutive days to prepare for the big match. But it’s not all practice; Allred believes it was something she was born with as well.
“I [have always] had a natural ability to golf,” she said.
According to golf coach Grant Williamson, the practice she puts into her game is one of the most important factors in her dominance, but something that Williamson often notices is Allred’s desire to win.
“She has put in a lot of practice to develop her skills, but the trait that stands out the most to me is her competitiveness,” he said. She likes to try and beat other good players, and that motivates her to play well.”

Third championship hard earned
Despite winning it all the previous two years, the state championship was not guaranteed this year. In order to conquer the competition a third time, there was a significant amount of adversity to overcome; for starters, the weather. Allred said that the course was especially windy this year, something that is not often considered to be a golfer’s friend. On top of that, there were new golfers and a new setting to contend with, said Williamson.
“Having won the previous two years, I knew she had a great opportunity to do it again, but each year is unique,” he said. “There’s a new course, new players, and new weather all to deal with.”
This year’s state tournament took place at Tanglewood Golf Course in Fulton over two days. The first day, Allred shot 78 strokes, but it was a tight contest, with Allred only three strokes ahead going into the second day. According to Williamson, eventual second-place winner Heng Zhang started the second day very well, working her way to a tie with Allred, but Allred’s killer instinct kicked in after a birdie on the sixth hole.
“…It was like she flipped a switch,” he said.
Following that, Allred pulled to the front, finishing eight strokes ahead of the runner-up. She would finish with a stroke count of 152, eight better than second place Heng Zhang from Whitfield.

Golf season of dominance
The writing has been on the wall all season, with Allred displaying her dominance throughout. She placed fourth in the Bolivar Invitational on Sept. 15, second at the Willard Invitational on Sept. 22, and first in the Clever Invitational on Oct. 1, followed by another first-place medal in the district tournament with teammate Collins Rust not far behind with a 10th-place finish.
Looking forward, Allred has a lot to prepare for if she hopes to come out victorious for the fourth time in a row. Winning a three-peat has only been done by five girls in the history of the tournament, but doing so four times has never been seen in Class 1 girls’ golf. This chance at making history has put a lot on her shoulders, though.
“It’s a great feeling to win, but with winning, it feels like there are more and more expectations to win each time,” she said.
She said her preparation is key, but Allred doesn’t plan to fix something that isn’t broken.
“I will continue to do what I have done in the past. Practice.”