Johnson wins another state title

Julia Johnson, a Pine Prairie native, won the high school state golf championship for the second straight year. Johnson won her first state championship as an eighth grader and was looking to defend her crown again this year.
Standing in her way was a host of talented golfers, including Sydney Cavin, an LSU signee. Johnson’s tournament preparation was limited by a thumb injury that kept her from practicing and playing for nearly a month. Johnson was able to come back and play competitively only three weeks before the state tourney.
Her first match back was the Baton Rouge Metro tournament. She was rusty, but began her run toward a state title by shooting an even par 72 at Beaver Creek.
On the day, she had five birdies and five bogeys. Following another week of practice, Julia headed into the Regional tournament. Still not tournament ready, Johnson was able to battle back and get her score to -2 after 14 holes. On the 15th hole, a short 265 yard par four, her drive ended up on a hanging lie in the greenside bunker. This resulted in a bogey.
On hole 16, Johnson pulled a drive a little left and was stuck in a hole behind a tree, resulting in double bogey. Johnson finished the round with a score of 74 and a third place finish. Johnson is not accustomed to finishing third and was determined not to let that happen at state.
The state golf championship was once again in Shreveport at the Palmetto Country Club. This course has extremely small greens, and there is a lot of trouble that can be found by the golfers. Julia and her dad went to Shreveport a couple of days early to play two practice rounds. Julia appeared to be getting her game back into shape, but time would tell just how tournament ready she was.
The defense of Julia’s championship did not begin as planned. A 225 yard, five wood shot off of tee one rolled to the end of the fairway, found the water, and resulted in a bogey. Unphased by the bad start, Johnson battled back to make the turn at even par and a tie for the lead. Johnson began to distance herself from the field with consistent play on the difficult back nine. She went to the 17th tee with a four-stroke lead over Sydney Cavin and Anna Heine, her two biggest rivals. The 17th hole is a short par four with water at the bottom of the hill. In the two practice rounds Johnson hit “lay-up” shots with a five iron.
Johnson again hit a five iron in round one, but this time her tee shot rolled to the end of the fairway and into the water. She hit a wedge and spun it off the green. A chip shot and three putts resulted in a triple bogey. Johnson made par on the 18th hole and posted a score of 76 (+4).
Julia’s score was still good enough to place her in the lead but by only one stroke over Cavin. After round one, Johnson was very upset with the way she finished and with her play on hole 17. The windy conditions made day one scoring tough. To make things tougher, the wind began to blow at 20 mph, making club selection extremely difficult.
Day two did not start like Johnson had planned. After bogeys on holes one and two, Johnson found herself one stroke out of the lead. Rather than get rattled, Johnson focused. After a tough par on hole three, she smashed a 260-yard drive on hole four then hit a seven iron to within 12 feet of the hole. She drained the birdie putt, and that seemed to get her going. Johnson birdied the fourth, sixth and ninth holes to make the turn at -1.
“I felt really good at the turn and was hitting it really solidly,” stated Johnson.
At this point Johnson had surged back into the lead and was ahead of Heine and Cavin by three strokes. Johnson was handling the high winds and tough conditions much better than any of her competitors.
“I work well under pressure,” Johnson relayed. “I like it. And there was a lot of pressure.”
A bogey on the easy par five 11th hole seemed to ignite Johnson again. Johnson made pars on the difficult holes 12, 13, and 14, while her competitors bogeyed. Johnson birdied the 15th hole, and that gave her a five stroke lead. However, she was not finished pulling away from the field. Johnson made a par on the 185 yard par three 16th hole. She then went to the 17th hole, a hole that had given her trouble the day before. This time, Johnson hit a seven iron off the tee then hit a knockdown nine iron to within five feet of the hole. Johnson popped out the birdie putt and had to settle for par.
After a great drive and a wedge to within five feet on hole 18, Johnson was able to bury the birdie putt, putting an exclamation point on another state title. Johnson posted a day two score of 70 (-2) in brutal conditions. Her score was seven strokes better than her nearest competitor and further proof of just how seasoned and tough this young girl has become over the years.
On the day, Johnson had five birdies and three bogeys and was able to overcome a bad start. What is becoming very evident is that there is no stage too big for Johnson. She doesn’t fold under pressure, and she has an unmatched desire to win.
Johnson’s summer will not be much of a vacation. She will be hitting the greens early on. She begins on June 4th and 5th. Johnson will play in a tournament at the Bluffs in an effort to qualify for the Junior PGA (Professional Golf Association). On June 8-11, Johnson will be playing against women of all ages at Oakwing in Alexandria in an attempt to win the Louisiana Amateur championship. On June 11th to the 13th Johnson will represent Louisiana in the Tri-state championships in Arkansas. On June 20, Johnson will attempt to qualify for the PGA National Junior championship.
In early July, Johnson will try to qualify for the PGA amateur championship in Georgia and will attempt to defend her title as the Louisiana Junior Amateur Champion. In late July, Johnson will play in the David Toms AJGA open in Shreveport. Johnson will also travel to Nashville to play in the PGA women’s amateur qualifier.
Johnson continues to work very hard and gives God, her family, and her coaches the credit for her success. She is daughter of Chuck and Carolyn Johnson, formerly of Pine Prairie.