Sycamore junior Eva Becerril scrambles her way to state golf title
CINCINNATI — Eighteen holes to make up at least five shots, in inclement weather. Sycamore High School junior Eva Becerril faced that challenge Oct. 15 in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division I girls state golf tournament at NCR Country Club in Kettering.
Becerril shot a 75 in the first round of the two-round tournament, five shots behind Olentangy鈥檚 Meadow Tian, with six others between her and Tian. Sycamore coach Matthew Starr said it took a great effort for Becerril to be in that position.
鈥淓va is one of the best female players in the state, so going into the event I knew she had a good chance to win,鈥� Starr said. 鈥淪he didn鈥檛 quite have her best game on day one, but she showed what a competitor she is. She scrambled, made good decisions, and worked hard to keep herself in the event.鈥�
After playing the front nine at even par, Becerril made her move. She birdied 11 and 12 to pull within one shot of the lead, then saved par on 15 with what Starr described as a 鈥渢errific up and down.鈥� Then, on 16 鈥� a hole on which she had struggled in previous rounds at NCR 鈥� she chose a different line off the tee and drove the ball down the middle.
鈥淪he made a great decision hitting an eight iron into a hurting wind and took a one-shot lead with a par at 16, followed that up with a great birdie on 17. She did a great job all day of balancing good decisions with patience and confidence,鈥� Starr said.
The winning moment came when Becerril parred the 18th hole.
鈥淎fter I made my putt on hole 17 for birdie, I had a feeling that I had won, but it wasn鈥檛 until after I had made my par putt on 18 that my dad yelled 鈥楽tate champ鈥� and my best friend from Centerville and two of my teammates came up and hugged me saying how proud they were of me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 comprehend it at first because it felt so surreal.鈥�
Success was expected. Becerril was Sycamore鈥檚 No. 2 scorer, behind then-senior Caroline Thompson, at the event in 2023, when it was played at Ohio State University鈥檚 Gray Course and the Aviators qualified as a team. This year, she played by herself, placing in the top three among individuals on teams that did not qualify to state from the district tournament Oct. 8 at PipeStone Golf Club in Miamisburg. She survived a three-way playoff for the final two spots.
The old golf saying is 鈥淒rive for show, putt for dough.鈥� Becerril does both, and complements with a strong mid-game, Starr said. All phases contributed to her victory at state.
鈥淗er length off the tee is a major weapon. She has worked hard over the years to increase her swing speed, which makes her one of the longest players in our area. This allows her to hit shorter clubs for her approach shots on par 4s and par 5s, which gives her a huge advantage,鈥� Starr said.
鈥淓va also has a fabulous short game. Her ability to chip and pitch the ball around the green is outstanding, which was highlighted by her seven 鈥榰p and downs鈥� the first day of the state tournament. She is also a great putter, which she displayed both days of the state tournament, making a few long putts including that birdie on the 17th hole on day two that sealed the victory.鈥�
The 16-year-old Symmes Township resident said she got her first set of clubs at age 7, and started competing at age 10. 鈥淚 like the experiences golf gives me and the people I鈥檝e met over the last six years,鈥� Becerril said. She said her first swing coach, Brady Mariangeli, and Starr, have been big influences.
Sycamore won its third consecutive Greater Miami Conference championship, with Becerril earning Athlete of the Year honors. The Aviators鈥� overall record was 129-27. Starr credited seniors Jenna DeJonckheere and Sonali Singla, both four-year varsity players, for boosting the confidence of and encouraging younger team members junior Sahana Singla, sophomore Lucia Hardison and freshman Allie Ward.
鈥淚鈥檓 so thankful for the work these ladies put in each day, proud of the results they have been able to achieve and happy to see these ladies develop into strong citizens in our community,鈥� Starr, in his eighth season at Sycamore, said.
Becerril is Sycamore鈥檚 second individual state champion. Kellen Alsip was the 2015 state champion, when current Athletic Director Andrew Ovington was head coach.
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.