Freshmen Gianna Furrie, Katie Lillie lead St. Charles North to state

Inexperience is the biggest foe of golfers at the state tournament, so sending a team to Decatur’s Hickory Point Golf Club for Friday’s Class 2A tournament led by two freshmen seems a difficult assignment for St. Charles North.

Nevertheless, coach Chris Patrick isn’t worried about Gianna Furrie and Katie Lillie leading his team to cap their first years of high school golf.

“Not at all,” Patrick said. “I’m very confident in them and I think they have a lot of self-confidence in their games and trust their ability.

“Gianna doesn’t show any signs of nerves or anything and she’s just kind of a bulldog out there and she loves competing. It’s kind of fun to watch her. She doesn’t let the whole big idea of a state championship or anything like that bother her.”

This is the third straight year a Furrie has been to state, but obviously not Gianna. Her sister, Ariana, finished 16th last year and placed 15th as a junior.

“I had soccer during the same time so I never have been able to go down there,” Gianna said. “I’m not sure what to expect.

Furrie plays for St. Charles North’s soccer team in the spring, but also played club soccer in the past in fall and couldn’t watch her sister, who now plays for Wagner College.

Now she hopes to continue the type of play that netted her a season-best 76 at sectional.

Lillie shot 80 at sectional and had some nerves in the tourney.

“Once Kate got through the nerves initially she put it together and played some real solid golf down the stretch,” Patrick said.

The Stars as a team would need some help from other players to make a run at the state title, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility. The Stars finished seventh behind Crystal Lake’s powerful Co-op team at sectional and was second to the same team at regionals. In sectional, senior Jessica Grill shot 88 and senior Carly Hudon a 91. The other two Stars are senior Sam Scroggin and junior Gabi Spinazze.

In the 1A event at Decatur’s par-72, 5,651-yard Red Tail Run Golf Course, St. Edward’s Ryan Scully is the lone area representative.

Scully, a junior, made it by shooting 93 in sectional, 11 shots better than what she shot in qualifying for sectional at the regional.