Druid Hills golf team makes history

The Druid Hills Red Devils girls’ high school golf team made program history on May 4 at McDonough’s Georgia National Golf Club by making the girls’ state golf tournament for the first time in school history. 

Druid Hills finished third in the Class 4A Girls State Sectional to earn the state tournament nod. The Red Devils qualified for the sectional as the third team out of the Area 1-4A Tournament on April 20. 

The team carded a 276 total at the sectional to finish nine strokes ahead of fourth-place Cartersville (285) and 19 strokes ahead of Northside of Columbus to solidify its bid in the state tournament. Cambridge (248) and North Oconee (251) were the top two teams in the sectional. 

Druid Hills shot 20 strokes better than their Area 1-4A total of 296 to get into the state tournament. 

Junior Aiko Benford led the team with an 84 to finish in a tie for fourth overall and just three strokes behind low medalist Caitlin Grice of Cambridge, who finished with an 81. 

Sophomore Milan Waller gave the Red Devils two top 10 finishes as she shot an 86 to finish in eighth place. 

Freshman Ava Clatterbaugh finished in a tie for 23rd in the field of 38 golfers and junior Peyton Harris shot 113 to finish in 30th. 

The Red Devils join the Dunwoody Wildcats (Class 5A girls) and Arabia Mountain’s Nigel Youmans (Class 5A boys) in representing DeKalb County School District. 

Druid Hills will travel to the Class 4A girls state tournament on May 18-19 at Crosswinds Golf Club in Savannah.