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Senior Reese Barlow shows off her individual medal for winning the 8th Region Tournament. Barlow, along with her team, has been one of the top golfers PHS has seen, earning top honors more often than not in competitions throughout the season. Photo courtesy of Kim Barlow. -
PHS Women’s Golf team Reese Barlow, Katie Wright, and Taylor Bruener have been a force to be reckoned with all season and are, as of press time, competing at State.
By Sam McClanahan
What had already been a stellar season for the Pendleton County Ladycats Golf team has now become historic.
Senior Reese Barlow, who has put together one of the finest individual seasons in program history, outperformed the competition at the 8th Region Tournament held at Houston Oaks course in Paris on September 19. She becomes just the second Ladycat in history to win the championship. Barlow produced a round of 77 to join former Ladycat standout Kristen Smith, who won the regional title back in 2010 at AJ Jolly; to accomplish this feat.
But Barlow was not alone in her success. Her teammates, senior Katie Wright along with freshman Taylor Bruener also performed among the top 15 individuals meaning all three Ladycats will move onto compete in the semi-state round to be held on September 25 at the Willows golf course in Kenton County. This will mark the first time in a decade that the Ladycats program has sent three members to this level.
Following her historic win, Barlow reflected back over the past year and the endless amount of time she has spent working towards this moment.
“It’s pretty awesome to be able to accomplish something that has only been done one other time before for our school,” Barlow said. “It’s also very satisfying knowing all the hard work put in practicing and balancing school, my job, and everything else has been worth it. I went into regionals wanting to have fun because I know it’s my last one, but I was also focused on getting the job done. I knew what I was capable of and it was a matter of going out there and doing it,” she explained.
Barlow started her round off well and found herself in the mix near the top of the leaderboard. Trailing by two strokes halfway through, she says she “kicked it into gear” and started performing at the high-level that she has all season. When it was all over, she stood alone at the top becoming the first Ladycat individual to claim the region in 13 years.
“I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish the things I have without a great support system. My family, my teammates and, their families have all been there for me for all of it. And mostly, my coach Rob Bertram. He’s the best coach I’ve ever had in my life and he is always so positive and calm during our rounds. He’s pulled me together many times when things weren’t going well and I can’t thank him enough for what he’s done for me,” Barlow said.
Rob Bertram, who has served as the Ladycats head coach since 2017, says Barlow’s success is no surprise to him. He says that he knew what her potential was dating back many years.
“I told Reese many years ago that she would win a regional championship. She had all the tools anyone would need from being very coachable, having a high level of determination and enough mental toughness of buckle down in the big moments. It’s hard to put into words how proud of her I am, and of all of our girls. We’ve had a special season and this is a special team,” Bertram said.
Bertram went on to say that he’s even more impressed by the desire of his Ladycats to constantly want to improve their games and push one another to be better.
“The game is changing and the caliber of athlete’s out here today are continue to improve. When I took over in 2017, there would be days when you’d spend six plus hours on the course during a high school event. Now, these ladies around the area are finishing up rounds in four and a half hours at times. There’s times when I feel like I’m just out there watching, these girls have such a good understanding of the game,” he added.
Up next for the Ladycats will be the semi-state round in which Barlow, Wright and Bruener will all look to be among the top 15 finishers in hopes of reaching the state tournament held in Bowling Green. Barlow explained that this course is much different than Houston Oaks, but she and her teammates will be ready for the challenge.
“The Willows can be stressful and difficult, you have to hit your ball straight on your drives and deal with some other challenges, but we’re all very familiar with it and will be ready to go. Last year, I missed advancing to state by one stroke, and I’m determined to make sure that isn’t even a possibility this time around,” Barlow said.
The KHSAA Girls state tournament is set for October 2-4 at the Bowling Green Country Club.