Westview’s Udom takes title, Sunset places second at 6A girls state golf championships
Published 8:59 am Thursday, May 22, 2025
It’s been 12 long months since Westview’s Melinee Udom placed second at the 6A girls state golf championships, but that year now sits behind her as the sophomore exorcised her demons by winning this year’s title on May 19-20, at Emerald Valley Golf Course in Creswell.
Udom held a one shot lead with an even par 72 after round one, and remained even after the front nine of round two, but blistered the back nine with birdies on holes 10, 11, 12, 14 and 16 en route to a 5-under par 67, two-day total of 139, and two shot victory over Lakeridge’s Hannah Wendorf.
Udom was ranked in the top-5 in all classifications throughout the season, and heading into the state championships sat at No. 4-ranked in the iWR state rankings behind top-ranked Hailey Lim of Lake Oswego, Wendorf, and Catlin Gabel’s Vishaka Priyan.
The Westview sophomore’s stroke average was 72.6 prior to the event, and she’d broken par just once during the season, saving her best for last at state.
Sunset’s Erika Kobayashi placed sixth with a 149; her teammate Shravya Kumar was eighth with a 150; Jesuit’s Kate Lee placed 10th at 153, tying Mountainside’s Kristine Shin.
Shin was tied with Udom for the first round lead with an even par 72, but struggled to an 81 in the final round.
Kobayashi, Kumar, Eugene Yi, Hope Gong and Charlotte Neff helped Sunset to a second place team finish with a combined score of 627, two shots behind first place Lake Oswego.
Sunset head coach Angela Fishback was particularly impressed by her team’s fight on day two, along with how her less experienced players handled the enormity of the moment.
“The girls really rose to the occasion and delivered when it counted, which is exactly what leaders do,” the coach said. “We had some disappointing holes, but that is how the game goes. Next best shot is what we try to focus on, and I was equally impressed by how the younger girls responded to the pressure.”
Fishback pointed to Kobayashi, Yi and Kumar as the catalysts to the team’s success, but noted the newcomers were equally valuable by way of their steady improvement.
“They set the tone for the younger players and helped create a supportive, competitive environment,” Fishback said. “At the same time, our two younger, less experienced players made noticeable progress and handled themselves well throughout the season. The balance between veteran leadership and developing talent really came together nicely.”
Suffering such a narrow defeat of course left a sour taste in the Apollos mounts, but despite the heartbreak the team ultimately left with their head held high.
“It was a little bittersweet,” Fishback said. “Losing by just two is always tough, especially when you’re that close to a big result. But I think after the initial disappointment, the girls felt really proud of their effort. That’s something to build on, and I think it’s only going to fuel their fire going into next year.”
And next year does look promising for Sunset who lose just Kobayashi to graduation.
“Losing Erika (Kobayashi) will be tough, but with Shravya and Eugene who carried us this season coming back, plus the growth we’ve seen from our younger players, there’s a lot to be excited about,” Fishback said. “They know they’re capable of competing at a high level, and they’re motivated to take that next step toward winning a state championship.”
Jesuit was third in the team competition, with Mountainside fourth, Westview seventh, and Tualatin 13th.
Other local individuals finished as follows: Cecili Hayes, Jesuit 12th; Natalie Edwards, Tualatin 17th; Milla Patel, Jesuit 19th; Amelia Kim, Jesuit 23rd; Jordyn Lorence, Mountainside 26th; Hope Gong, Sunset 29th; Addison Shuey, Mountainside 31st; Christine Liang, Westview 31st; Trinity Johnson, Forest Grove 34th; Mia Carey, Liberty 40th; Gwen Paldi, Mountainside 40th; Charlotte Neff, Sunset 46th; Maddie Johnson, Mountainside 54th; Abigail Neuman, Tualatin 54th; Claire Debruge, Southridge 56th; Blair Adams, Sherwood 63rd; Avery Estep, Westview 67th; Libby Chen, Southridge 72nd; Reese Lang, Westview 72nd; Rylee Campbell, Tualatin 80th; Cailey Pazda, Tualatin 85th; Faith Ly, Tualatin 88th.
