State Next For Wortinger

Every time Kari Wortinger has needed a big-time score, she's delivered a big-time performance.

Three weeks ago she shot a 38 en route to an 81 at the Northern Lakes Conference match, five strokes better than anyone else.

Two weeks ago she shot a 39 en route to an 84 at the Warsaw Sectional, nine strokes better than anyone else.

Last week she shot a 38 en route to an 80 at the Huntington Regional, her best score ever and a state-qualifying score.

Now, Wawasee golf coach Bill Lantz said, she again will have to come up with her best score ever. Wortinger has an 8:16 a.m. tee time at Saturday's state finals at Prestwick Country Club in Avon.

"I've never taken anybody down (to the state finals), and she's never experienced this," Lantz said. "I looked at the IHSAA's home page on the Internet. There's obviously going to be some talented players at state. I have no idea what it will take, but I think the (Erin) Cook girl at East Noble shot an 80 the first weekend last year, and that wasn't good enough."

Lantz believes Wortinger has three things going for her. One, she's playing the best he's ever seen her play, and he's known her since she was in the third grade. Two, she has no trouble with her confidence. Three, Prestwick Country Club is a long course, which is good for Wortinger, who can drive the ball 220 yards off the tee.

"By far, this is the best I've ever seen Kari play," Lantz said. "She's on top of her game in every aspect, putting, chipping and hitting off the tee. Her irons are longer, and her proficiency on and around the greens is better than it ever has been."

Now Wortinger is superstitious, and only a week ago, she said one of her superstitions is to never practice on a course the week of the match.

She didn't practice for the Huntington Regional at Norwood Golf Course last week because she had golfed there before.

This is different.

She has never golfed at Prestwick, so that overrules her superstition. She has to learn something about the course before she goes down there for the real thing.

"She will play a practice round down there (Thursday)," Lantz said. "It will be an interesting day. It is a longer course, which isn't that big of an issue with Kari because she hits the ball so well anyway. It's 6,200 total yards, and that's 500 or 600 yards longer than most courses."

Lantz says his biggest worry may be Wortinger's other superstition, which is wearing jeans and a T-shirt she's had since her freshman year.

Jeans are OK. The T-shirt isn't.

"She can't wear her T-shirt this week," Lantz said. "She has to wear a nice shirt with a collar. Usually she will try to take her shirt off by the second or third hole and just go with her T-shirt. She can't do that this time. I'll have to watch her on that."

Lantz doesn't know how Wortinger will do. A week ago he predicted she would need an 80 to get out of the Huntington Regional.

Voila. She turned in her 80.

Now that the state finals lie ahead, Lantz shied away from any new predictions, saying "I'm out of that business now."

What he does know is like last week, the pressure won't be on her.

"It's, 'Who's Kari Wortinger? and Where's Wawasee?'" Lantz said. "Other people won't expect much out of her.

"She will have to play her best. So far, every week she's needed it, she's been able to put in a 38 or 39. Sometimes you wonder how long that can go on. When she goes out there, that will have to happen again. An 80 may not be good enough."

If it's not, Wortinger's season will end the first weekend of the two-weekend-long state finals. If Lantz is dragging his feet toward the end, you can't blame him. Wortinger is the best golfer he has ever coached at Wawasee, and she's a senior.

"Obviously Kari will be a big loss," Lantz said, "not just because she's a tremendous golfer, but because she's a quality person and a great teammate."

One hundred eight girls will compete at the state finals. Most of them are there for the 18-team competition. The top nine teams and every other team within 20 strokes of the lead will advance to the second round the following weekend.

Wortinger will go up against 17 other girls in the individual competition. Individually, the low nine players - excluding any who advance with their team - and any other girls within six strokes of the leader will advance to the second round.

"I think deep down, this was a goal," Lantz said. "She wanted to be medalist at NLC, at sectional. When she came into the year, she thought those were very obtainable. The (state finals) are something we always joked about the last couple of years. It's one of those things that was always back there but never really mentioned. It happened, and it's great.

"I just hope she goes down there and makes a good show."