Dad keeps his distance as daughter takes second at regional; QND girls cruise to title

PETERSBURG, Ill. — Jason Knuffman has determined the best way to coach his daughter is not to coach her at all.

That strategy seems to be working well for both of them.

Hana Knuffman shot a 7-over 79 to finish in second place, and the Quincy Notre Dame girls golf team turned in its best score of the season to cruise to the team championship of the Class 1A regional golf tournament Thursday at Shambolee Golf Course.

The Raiders finished with a 356 to easily outdistance runner-up Rushville-Industry, which closed with a 379. Central finished third at 398. Those three teams, along with the top 10 individuals on teams not advancing, with play Monday in the sectional at Edgewood Golf Course in Auburn.

Jason Knuffman watched his daughter’s tee shot on the first hole, which traveled about 75 yards. As he walked away to keep an eye on the other members of the QND team, he saw Hana hit a hybrid about 220 yards on her next shot, which landed in a greenside bunker. Hana eventually parred the hole.

He didn’t see her play most of the rest of the day.

Jason Knuffman: Hana doesn’t need my help out there

“As of about five or six matches ago, we kind of determined that it was best if I keep my distance a little bit on the course,” Jason said. “We found that when she was at a match and I wasn’t there, the assistant coach would take her. She would just light the place on fire. She shot 37 at Camp Point one evening, and I wasn’t there. We started to realize that if I don’t check in with you every few holes, well, you’ve been playing this game for a long time. She doesn’t need my help out there. She can beat me pretty much half the time. 

“She has the ability to recover, and that’s how she plays. Some stray shots aren’t very good, but others, she really recovers from that. If I had to describe her in one word, she’s just steady.  Even if she has a bad hole, she comes back and she’ll birdie the next hole, I don’t know if she’s forgetting the last hole, as we’re all taught to do. She’s more like, ‘I’m going to go to score on this next hole.’ It seems so far to work out like that.”

Addie Dobson of Jacksonville Routt took medalist honors with a 77, despite a triple-bogey 7 on the par 4 seventh hole. Hana Knuffman and Alaina Ervin of Pleasant Plains tied for second. Maddie Hamilton of Camp Point Central (84), Kaitlyn Seymour of Rushville (88) and Tristan Lashmett of Winchester (88) also earned medals.

Hana strung together seven consecutive pars on the back nine after a bogey on 10 to shoot a two-over-par 38 on the back. 

“There were some shots that I wonder, ‘What was I doing?’” she said. “But that’s like any round of golf, really. I’m happy with it. My short game really came in clutch. My putter was working really well, and my chipping too.”

Hummel knocks about 10 strokes off her normal score

Olivia Hummel shot an 89, Blair Eftink a 93 and Meredith Eversman a 95 for the Raiders. Hummel’s round was particularly helpful.

“She seemed to have this streak of shooting 101 going on,” Jason Knuffman said. “But something has really clicked with her swing. She’s hitting it long. She’s making way better contact. She started to take her time a little bit more around the green. I wish I could attribute (her improvement) to coaching, but I don’t think I can. Something has clicked in her game.”

Aside from Seymour, Rushville used a 95 from Annika Ebey, a 97 from Kate Phillips and a 99 from Aubrey Sorrell to place second. 

Hamilton had back-to-back birdies on holes 15 and 16 to card a 38 on the back nine to pace Central. Hallie Cramer (92), Karly Barry (106) and Katie Hildebrand (116) were the other scores for the Panthers.

Raiders go from ‘rebuild mode’ to sectional

Jason Knuffman said an average score of 363 has been good enough for teams in QND’s sectional to advance to the state tournament, which will be played Oct. 8-9 at Red Tail Run Golf Course in Decatur.

“We left strokes out there,” he said. “People were not necessarily pleased with themselves when they came in. I mean, they are, but even with a 356, they knew that they’ve left shots out there. I think it’s the realization that it’s the end of the season, and that ability that’s been there the whole time, well, now they’re really taking it seriously.

“Three weeks ago, I was really thinking we were going to be in a rebuild mode. Now I’ve got to kind of reassess. I can’t be thinking we’ve only got one more round left in us.”

TEAM SCORES

INDIVIDUAL MEDALISTS

TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS TO ADVANCE