After taking home the silver medal last year as a freshman, Layne Ailshie proved to be the best of the best in Class 4A girls golf by winning medalist honors at the OSSAA state championship tournament by posting a final round score of 73 for a two-stroke margin of victory and a combined 36-hole total of 153 while battling rain-soaked course conditions on the Buffalo Rock course in Guthrie.  

“Day one conditions were simply horrible. Day two it was still extremely muddy making even walking a challenge in addition to scoring,” recalled Ailshie. “After the first couple of holes on day two, I got into a groove and was able to get the job done.”

Ailshie’s state championship is the first ever, male or female, individual state title in golf at Fort Gibson. Competing in eight tournaments during the 2022 spring season as well as the 4A state preview, she won the gold medal in six events while finishing in the top three in two other events. The desire to improve all facets of her game required sacrificing free time to travel and train with her swing coach, Seth Bryant at Flint Hills National in Wichita, Kansas where according to the 2022 sophomore, she gained an improved mental strategy for golf.

“The hardest part about playing golf is staying in the moment, remaining focused,” said Ailshie. “Most of the time my iron play is the better part of my game but some days it has to be the putter. You do what you have to do.”