Pine Prairie native, Johnson, wins state golf title

Former Pine Prairie golfer Julia Johnson, now an East Iberville High student, won her third straight high school state golf championship at Les Vieux Chene in Lafayette. Coming into the tournament Johnson’s game appeared to be in great shape. Johnson played against an all boys field two weeks before state at Carter Plantation. She played from 6,700 yards, the same tees as the boys with no advantages.
Johnson shot 73-68(a round of -4) and beat the whole field in a win. Johnson called the score of 68 from that distance, in rainy wet conditions, her best round ever. Now it was time to see if she could take the good form into the state championship.
Johnson arrived at Les Vieux Chene a day early to play a practice round. What she found disappointed her. The greens had a fungus and were in horrific shape. Johnson is used to playing on fast, well kept greens, so this was going to be a challenge.
Johnson shot five under in the practice round and appeared ready. Day one did not start as she had planned. Johnson bogeyed holes one and two. After a bad start, Johnson seemed to settle down. On the day, she had four bogeys and five birdies and shot one under par. Her first day total was good enough for a four stroke lead, but nothing was safe with the condition of the greens.
“That’s good though,” Johnson said about being tied early in the championship round. “Sometimes you need that. Sometimes you need them to get your mind straight.”
Day two would test Johnson’s resolve, as she started again with bogeys on holes one and two. In addition the wind began to blow very hard, making scoring difficult. On the par five fourth hole, Johnson went for the green in two and found the water left of the green, resulting in her third bogey in the first four holes.
Abby Daniels, her closest competitor, birdied the hole. What was once a four-shot lead was now gone. Johnson birdied the fifth hole but again found trouble on the sixth. She got too aggressive and hit a seven iron over the green into the woods, resulting in her fourth bogey in six holes.
What would derail most golfers, only made her focus. Johnson bounced right back with a birdie on hole number seven and finished the front nine two over par. A careless bogey on the par five 10th hole put Johnson three over par for the day and only two shots ahead of her nearest competitor.
Johnson bounced right back on hole number 11, with a birdie on the par five. Another bogey on hole 13 seemed to anger Johnson and ignite her game. Johnson stood at three over par and was now four up on the field. Johnson birdied the 15th to stretch her lead to five.
Johnson then hit a 225 yard three wood over the corner of a dogleg turn, leaving her 70 yards from the hole. Johnson then hit a wedge to within four feet, resulting in her fifth birdie of the day. A par on the difficult 17th hole left Johnson one over par for the day but seven clear of the nearest competitor.
However, Johnson was not done stepping on the accelerator. Julia bombed a 265 yard drive on the par five 18th hole leaving her 178 yards to the flag. Johnson wanted at least a birdie to complete a remarkable recovery from a bad start and to pull back to even par for the day. Johnson hit a five wood into a howling wind into the middle of the green.
When Johnson stuck the green, coach Andrew Wyly couldn’t contain an outburst. “Great shot, girl!” Wyly yelled from his golf cart. “I wish I could hit like a girl, I can tell you that.”
Two putts later resulted in another birdie and gave her an eight shot victory. On the day Johnson had six birdies, six bogeys, six pars, and played the last four holes at three under par. Johnson showed once again that she does not crack under pressure and that no stage is too big. Johnson is only a sophomore, and has a chance to be a five-time state champion by the time she graduates. Johnson is the daughter of Chuck Johnson and Carolyn Johnson, formerly of Pine Prairie.
“I’ve been lucky enough the past couple of years to walk up to 18 knowing I had it in the bag,” Johnson said. “I made myself work for everything the whole day, and to know that I didn’t have to go on that hole and get an up-and-down or save a putt, to know I could just go on and two putt to get out of here, it felt really good.”
“This whole tournament, I have not felt comfortable on any shot I’ve hit except for my wedges,” Johnson said. “My wedges have been the thing saving me and letting me make putts.”
Johnson has a stacked summer schedule and will be traveling all over the country to face the nations highest ranked junior golfers.