By Mike Monahan

Mattoon’s Blair Powers (above) finished her round just minutes before a thunderstorm blew across the Charleston Country Club, enabling her to capture medalist honors in a tri-meet Monday evening.

Mattoon’s Blair Powers, a sophomore, led all 19 golfers by firing a 3-over 39 across the 2,596-yard front nine.

“I am pretty happy,” said Powers. “I did pretty well today. I just tried to stay out of the trees and try to hit the fairway and putt well on every hole.”

Powers’ best this season is a 37 at Meadowview Golf Course in Mattoon. 

The Green Wave won with a 179, 10 strokes ahead of Effingham and 14 better than Charleston. 

Charleston’s Delaney Meister carded a 41 for second-place.

The match ended strangely as players needed another 10 minutes to finish their rounds, but were called off the course due to thunder. The rains came about five minutes later. The golfers who were unable to finish were given a double-bogey on those holes. 

Powers, who said she keeps track of her score, knew she had to just par the 224-yard, par-4 final hole. 

On No. 9, Powers hit the tee shot to the top of the hill, setting up a second shot over the pond. 

Powers was happy to stay out of the water on the hole.

“I was on in a lot of greens and putted well,” said Powers, when asked her strengths of the round. 

Meister, a senior, also finished before the thunder as she was in the same group of three. 

“It was not a good day, but it was an okay day,” said Meister, who on No. 9 drove the green, chipped it up and made a putt for birdie.

“My drives were my strength today,” said Meister. “They were pretty on point, and I stuck with it right off the bat. Some of the things I had to work on was dialing it in on the putts.”

Meister, who lives across the street from seventh fairway, knows the course well. 

“For me, I am used to this course, but also some of the holes are really open,” said Meister. “You can work a lot with it even if you miss. It is all about your short game.”

Mattoon next travels to Savoy to play on the University of Orange Course in a meet hosted by Champaign Central. Charleston will play host to Olney today at 4 p.m.

Mattoon 179, Effingham 189, Charleston 193

INDIVIDUAL MEDALIST

Blair Powers, Mattoon 39

Other Mattoon results

Marley Van Hoveln 43, Carrigan Hyland 48, Julia Morton 49, Adrienne Murchow 55, Berit Haldorsen 57

Charleston results

Delaney Meister 41, Madeline Sanders 44, Bailey Wolfe 49, tie Jessica Logue, Mia Tribble 59, Maci Babbs 61