Lauren Slatton continues to take big steps toward superstardom in the state. Slatton completed her impressive run in the TSSAA state tournament Friday, finishing second in Sevierville.
It marks the third time that the phenomenal Lady Pioneer golfer has finished near the top of the leaderboard in the state tournament. She now has a pair of top-10 finishes on her resume, though she had eyes for an even bigger prize Friday while battling Houston’s Sophie Christopher.
Slatton, who came into the day trailing the leader by three strokes, cut the deficit down to a single stroke once, but she was never able to hit the shot to get over the hump. It wasn’t for lack of trying or sheer power off the tee, though. Most of the time, it was just impossible to finish on fast greens when she needed a big-time putt.
“(It was) Some of the best ball striking I have ever done. My putter left me these last two days, but other than that I’m really happy with my round,” said Slatton after shooting an even 70 Friday.
Slatton (3-over, 141 over two days) ultimately finished four strokes behind Carpenter as the Houston junior shot a 1-under in the 36-hole event. Cookeville’s Danielle Pryor, the third player in the top pairing Friday, finished third by shooting 5-over in the tourney.
Slatton came out charging Friday while playing with Christopher, making the leader sweat. The Lady Pioneer had three birdies in her first six holes, including draining a big putt on the Par-3, No. 6 that drew her within one shot of the lead.
Christopher was able to gain back two strokes on No. 7 by sinking a birdie putt on the Par 4 while Slatton had a bogey. It never got closer as the Houston junior sank just enough putts to stay out front.
Slatton didn’t quit trying. She had back-to-back birdies on No. 16 and 17, met with strong support from the small contingent of Pioneer fans who made the trip, but Christopher stamped out the comeback with a birdie of her own on No. 17 – a Par-5.
Ultimately, there wasn’t enough time for Slatton to make it all the way back. Throughout the day, the scores were always known, but the junior knew she couldn’t worry much about her opponent or the leaderboard.
“In golf, it is just you and the ball. You can’t think much about your competitors,” said Slatton when asked about the possibility to shift her approach to catch Christopher. “I believe I did well with my mindset. However, I struggled to keep my confidence on the greens.”
Slatton has now improved each year at the state event. She was 12th as a freshman in 2020 (at Manchester’s WillowBrook Golf Course) and finished sixth in Sevierville last year. There is only one more spot to ascend to now and Slatton is already focusing on what she can do to cap an amazing career with a championship next fall.
“I just need to look over my game as a whole and focus on managing the golf course. I feel like I have been doing very well when it comes to the technical aspect of golf – I just have to put it all together,” said Slatton.
Nobody will be counting her out – most of all the many players who have been looking up at her on the leaderboards the last three years.
