By Moses Leos III

When she had to keep away from trouble on the links Tuesday, Lehman High sophomore Hillary Hernandez couldn’t avoid it. 

Back-to-back double bogeys on the 13th and 14th holes ended Hernandez’s state medal hopes at the UIL 6A girls state golf tournament in Georgetown. 

Hernandez, who made her inaugural appearance at the state meet, finished with a two-day total of 155. The mark was good enough to tie for the 13th best individual score. 

She began the tournament by carding a 75 in the first day of competition. Her score was high enough to tie for the fifth, advancing her to the final day. 

Hernandez continued the strong play in the front nine on Tuesday, gaining confidence after bogeying the first hole. She finished the first nine holes at even par. 

But a disastrous back nine undid most of what Hernandez worked for. Her troubles were defined at the 13th and 14th, where Hernandez shot two over par on each hole.

Hooking her tee shots became the issue for Hernandez. Both tee shots sliced to the left, leaving Hernandez in near unplayable situations in the rough. 

Golf coach Brian Hempel said Hernandez tried to adjust her swing, but no matter the adjustment, Hernandez couldn’t find her rhythm. 

“She tried to correct where she could, but she couldn’t find a way to get the ball in the cup,” Hempel said. “It wasn’t her day. It wasn’t working out for her.

From there, Hernandez worked to finish her round. Hempel said he stressed the need for Hernandez to slow down, concentrate on tempo and “go shot for shot.” 

“I told her that we had holes still to play and that everything was going to be okay,” Hempel said. 

Despite carding her highest back nine of the season, Hernandez said she enjoyed the experience of performing at state. 

She ultimately hopes to learn from her mistakes. 

““It means a lot (to reach state), but I didn’t take advantage of it,” Hernandez said. “I did my best, but it just didn’t work out.” 

For Hempel, nine-holes couldn’t define a season of accomplishment for his sophomore phenom. 

“It’s a significant accomplishment (to reach state), something she can build on,” Hempel said. “I can imagine this is leaving a bittersweet feeling in her mouth. She’s happy she’s got here…but it should prove some motivation for next year.”