Bailey makes all-TRC for 4th time with 71, helps Rochester to 3rd straight TRC title

Moore shoots 82, also makes all-TRC team

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

The Rochester girls golf team shot a 367 to win the Three Rivers Conference title at Round Barn Golf Club at Mill Creek Saturday. This marks the third straight year the team has won conference. Northfield was second with a 380. From left – assistant coach Delaney Barkman, Audrey Widman, Chloe Winn, Olivia Bailey, Lexi Haughs, Lily Chipps, Molly Moore, coach Dan Bailey.

Olivia Bailey lost her shootout with Piercey Dyer, but it was more than enough to lift the Rochester girls golf team to its third straight Three Rivers Conference title.

The Rochester girls golf team shot a 367 to win the conference at its home course at Round Barn Golf Club at Mill Creek Saturday.

Their team score was 33 strokes higher than last year’s team score at Rock Hollow Golf Club in Peru, but it was still 13 strokes better than runner-up Northfield. Manchester was third with a 385.

Bailey led Rochester with a 71, Molly Moore had an 82, Lexi Haughs shot a 95, Lily Chipps had a 119, and Chloe Winn had a 130.

First-year coach Dan Bailey said the team is “trending in the right direction.”

“Well, it’s always good to have that word champion next to a team,” coach Bailey said. “We haven’t talked about results at all. In fact, I don’t think the girls have any idea of what our record is this year, and I only know because I just sat down Wednesday this week and figured it out. Chad (Thomas, Bailey’s predecessor as coach) did such a great job of keeping records that I feel it’s necessary for me to keep it going. We don’t talk about results at all as far as where we place or wins and losses because the goal of this year is just incremental improvement. So even Olivia and Molly, who are scoring really well, their goal is incremental improvement. We’ve got to figure out how to knock a stroke or two or three off. And that’s really been our goal all year long, and we’ve been doing that.”

Bailey and Moore made the all-TRC team by finishing in the top 10 among individuals. Bailey and Moore were second and third, respectively, behind Peru’s Dyer, who shot a 68.

Dyer’s round included eight birdies. She bounced back from a double-bogey on No. 10 with four straight birdies from Nos. 11-14.

Bailey made the all-conference team four times in her career. She was also second in 2022, third in 2023 and second in 2024.

Bailey’s back nine score of 33 included three birdies and six pars. On her last birdie on the par-4 18th hole, she drove the green and two-putted for birdie. She also had back-to-back birdies on Nos. 12 and 13.

Another standout shot was her fourth shot on the par-5 11th. She hit a 50-degree wedge from the rough on the right within a couple feet and then made a two-footer for par.

Olivia called her tee shot on No. 18 “pretty cool.”

“I have, but I think I was trying to beat Piercey by doing that, so I was under some pressure, so I was really happy with that shot,” Olivia said when asked if she had driven the green on No. 18 before.

Bailey had a bogey on No. 4 and a double-bogey on No. 8 after driving in the water, and it was too big of a deficit to overcome against Dyer, who won conference medalist for the second straight year.

“I feel good about it,” Olivia said. “I feel like I could have done better, but I’m happy with it.”

The round went so well for both players that Dyer’s mother made sure to take a photo of her daughter and Olivia and their group as soon as the round ended.

Olivia was asked if Dyer brings out the best in her.

“I would say she does just because we can go back and forth and compete,” Olivia said. “Sometimes I get nervous playing with her, but she’s really nice, and so it’s enjoyable.”

Moore was third among individuals behind Dyer and Olivia Bailey. She made the all-TRC team for the second straight year. She shot a 97 the previous week at the Lady Broncho Invitational at Battle Ground Golf Club playing with an ear infection.

She played a nine-hole match at Western Monday but skipped Tuesday’s nine-hole match at Logansport in order to recuperate. She was back on the course and shot a 43 for nine holes at the Silver Course at Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth Wednesday.

“I’m not mad about it considering my previous rounds,” Moore said. “But I definitely could have done better. I had some bads and my goods, but I’m pretty proud of it.”

Moore’s round included a chip-in birdie on the par-4 15th hole.

“I chipped it in for birdie after a not-so-great second shot,” Moore said.

Moore shot a 37 on the back nine after a 45 on the front.

“The back nine to me is so much easier, so much shorter,” Moore said. “I just love that. And I practice the back nine way more, which it shows.”

Said coach Bailey: “The back nine was really good. She got into some difficult situations on the front nine. I think she hit it a little better than her score showed on the front nine. But 82 for a sophomore, third in the conference … after having a 45 on the front nine, there are just so many positive things there. And she wasn’t feeling great this week, missed a match because she wasn’t feeling great. And she’s been going through a little bit of a struggle just golf-wise. So to come out and shoot 82 in the conference, that was a really good round.”

Haughs followed a 53 on the front nine with a 42 on the back. Her round also included a birdie on the par-5 12th.

“I know she didn’t score where she expected herself to score,” coach Bailey said. “I think she’s to the point where she really expects to be in the 80s somewhere most of the time. She hits it well enough. She still gets into situations where she has three or four really good holes, she’ll have a bogey and then a couple pars and then a birdie and then a double or a triple. So we’ve got to get her to the point where we can turn those doubles and triples into bogeys.”

The tournament was delayed by lightning for approximately 30 minutes after the girls had played about four holes. Play resumed uninterrupted at 3:45 p.m.

Rochester hosts Tippecanoe Valley, the Indiana Northern State Conference champion, at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. Olivia Bailey will be honored on senior night. 

The sectional will start at 9:30 a.m. next Monday at Dykeman Park Golf Course in Logansport.

Three Rivers Conference tournament

at Round Barn Golf Club at Mill Creek Saturday (par 72)

ROCHESTER 367, Northfield 380, Manchester 385, Peru 403, Southwood 412, Lewis Cass 443, Maconaquah 448, Whitko 456, Northwestern 471, Wabash 474

ROCHESTER (367): OLIVIA BAILEY (38-33) 71, MOLLY MOORE (45-37) 82, LEXI HAUGHS (53-42) 95, LILY CHIPPS (58-61) 119, (CHLOE WINN (64-66) 130)

NORTHFIELD (380): Sorg 85, Dale 92, Haupert 100, Dawes 103, (Wilson 119)

MANCHESTER (385): Shah 90, Spangle 91, D’Andrea 102, Reid 102, (Simcoe 117)

PERU (403): Dyer 68, Caldwell 105, Nero 114, Beattie 116, (Dunnaway 139)

SOUTHWOOD (412): Chenoweth 88, Stauffer 103, H. Schipper 110, D. Schipper 111, (Goodpastor 128)

LEWIS CASS (443): Toops 86, Willis 102, Holmquist 127, Collins 128, (Coffman 135)

MACONAQUAH (448): Stoll 88, Duke 108, Farnham 121, Christopher 131, (Smith 139)

WHITKO (456): Burnworth 101, Luecke 106, Krieg 120, Long 129, (Tarlton 131)

NORTHWESTERN (471): Cobble 108, Lawson 112, Taylor 121, White 130

WABASH (474): K. Indrutz 102, Brewer 104, A. Indrutz 131, Brookshire 137, (Steller 142)

All-TRC (top 10 individuals): 1. Piercey Dyer (PERU) – 68, 2. Olivia Bailey (RHS) – 71, 3. Molly Moore (RHS) – 82, 4. Addy Sorg (NF) – 85, 5. Alisha Toops (LC) – 86, t-6. Madison Chenoweth (SW) – 88, t-6. Aubrey Stoll (MAC) – 88, 8. Ragen Shah (MAN) – 90, 9. Piper Spangle (MAN) – 91, 10. Ayla Dale (NF) – 92