Consistency was the key for Peyton Weaver.
Weaver combined 15 pars, 1 birdie and 2 bogeys for a final-round 73 Friday to hold off her competition and finally pull away for a five-stroke victory over Julie Oxendine in the Arkansas State Golf Association Centennial Women's Stroke Play Championship at Chenal Country Club's par-72 Founders Course.
Weaver finished at 5-over 221, with rounds of 74-74-73. Oxendine, who trailed Weaver by one stroke when the final round began, shot 73-76-77--226. Heather Wall of Lake Village was third at 78-75-76--229. Lauren Johnson of DeWitt was fourth at 76-75-83--234.
"I made a lot of easy pars today, and I knew if I could come out and make pars, I'd be OK," Weaver said.
"She was just out there playing the golf course," Oxendine said. "She was playing to her spots to make her pars, and she did a great job of it."
Weaver, of Bryant, led by two strokes after Oxendine bogeyed the first hole, and her lead remained at two through No. 12.
"Peyton played really solid, really consistent, no mistakes today," Oxendine said. "Unfortunately, I made a couple of big boo boos."
The first of Oxendine's significant errors came from a bunker short of the green on the 270-yard par-4 13th. She later said she simply hit the shot with too much sand between the club head and the ball. The shot went left into a pond, ultimately leading to a double bogey and a four-shot deficit with five holes to play.
Oxendine, of Russellville, said she was confident she would hit the green. So were her opponents.
"I couldn't believe it when she hit that in the water," Weaver said. "She's so good with those kinds of shots. I was very surprised."
"It wasn't a bad lie or anything like that," Oxendine said. "It was just a bad swing."
Weaver's final bogey of the round, on the par-4 15th, put Oxendine within three strokes with four holes left. Oxendine knew victory was unlikely but not out of reach. Weaver also understood.
"I wasn't too comfortable," Weaver said. "I knew Julie could birdie every hole out there."
On the 485-yard, par-5 16th, Oxendine's approach left her with a four-foot putt for birdie. Weaver's third shot landed 12 feet away, but she made her putt to keep Oxendine three strokes back.
"I knew I had to make birdie, because I knew she was going to make hers," Weaver said. "She's a very good putter, so I knew I had to. It was nice that the putt went in. It kind of calmed me down a little bit."
Weaver said it was easy to remind herself of the double bogey on the 18th to end Thursday's round.
"We still had two holes left," Weaver said.
Both players parred No. 17, so Weaver's lead remained three strokes. But she was still unable to relax until Oxendine's drive landed on a slope that put her ball in water that lines the right side of the fairway.
"I was still fighting hard, but then on 18, when I hit it in the water, it took all the pressure off of her," Oxendine said.
Even then, Weaver said she had to get her drive in the fairway, which she did.
"After that, I knew I had it," Weaver said.
Weaver two-putted the 18th for a par after hitting the green from 210 yards.
"This is a big deal for me," Weaver said. "I'm excited."
Sports on 06/27/2015