Lady Cats finish as 4A State Runners-Up, Pulliam earns individual State Championship

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Shown (L-R) are GCHS senior Mady Barrow, sophomore Lydia Moreno, sophomore Addison Pulliam, senior Lily Walley and senior Addy Shepherd.

From Staff Reports

Greene County High School earned some shiny new hardware for the school trophy case this past week as the Lady Wildcats golf team came home from Bay St. Louis with the MHSAA 4A State Runners-Up trophy and the 4A Individual State Championship.

It was the second consecutive year, the GCHS girls’ golf team secured the runner-up position at the State Championship tournament, finishing behind New Albany for the second time. But, the Lady Cats closed the gap between the two programs, with Greene County sophomore Addison Pulliam leading the way. Pulliam shot a 36-hole score of 156, beating out New Albany freshman Adeline Bailey by one stroke to claim the individual 4A Championship.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Pulliam said in her normal, low-key manner.

Exciting is an understatement as Pulliam and Bailey battled to the final hole at The Bridges Golf Club in a classic showdown that is likely to be replayed numerous times in the coming years. The two were tied going to the tee box on the 17th hole, but Pulliam found herself two strokes down heading to the final hole after posting a double-bogey. Bailey had the tough time on the final hole and finished her round with a triple-bogey, giving Pulliam the opening she needed. Pulliam hit a solid tee shot to the middle of the fairway off the final tee box and showed nerves of steel with her irons and putter to par the hole and claim the tournament.

“After the double-bogey on 17 I just told myself to concentrate on one shot at a time and make the most of the final hole,” Pulliam said. “I knew it would all work out the way God intended anyway.”

As a team, the Lady Cats outdueled Sumrall for the second place finish, thanks to solid play from seniors Addy Shepherd, Lily Walley and Mady Barrow. Walley was consistent both days and finished with a 36-hole final score of 204, strong enough for a 7th place overall finish. Shepherd and Barrow did their part, finishing 14th and 29th, respectively, as GCHS bested the third place Lady Bobcats by 25 strokes.

“These ladies demonstrated their resilience and talent on the state’s biggest stage,” GCHS Coach Jennifer Pulliam said proudly. “The 2-day tournament brought out the best in the Wildcats, who fought hard to finish among the top teams in the state once again.”

“(Addison’s) exceptional performance highlighted her consistency and skill, earning her individual honors in a competitive field. I am very proud of all of them.”

It was a solid year from start to finish for the GCHS girls as Pulliam (72), Walley (86), Shepherd (95) and sophomore Lydia Moreno (122) recorded personal-best 18-hole scored during the season.
Throughout the year, GCHS had six Top-5 finishes in tournaments that typically fielded 16-18 teams. They finished fourth in the Lady Indians “Al Pickich” Invitational, the George County Rebel Open and the Vancleave High School tournaments. They picked up a second place finish in the Gulfport Lady Admiral Tournament and claimed the Region 7-4A Title with a 19-stroke team win at Okatoma Golf Club in Collins in early October.

The Lady Cats now look to rebuild their roster as the three seniors will depart in May. But, with Pulliam anchoring the team and interest growing in the sport at GCHS, the future looks bright.

“I am happy with the way our season went, but also excited about what’s next.”

For Pulliam, the immediate future includes an appearance in the State All-Star Tournament at Dancing Rabbit in a couple of weeks. After that, she and Moreno will look to sharpen their skills with a lot of golf in the offseason as they prepare for the 2025 season next fall.

As for the GCHS boys, sophomore Eli Herring is competing this week in the 4A Boys’ Championship Tournament at Amory’s River Birch Golf Course. He earned the opportunity with a low score of 77 in the region tournament.