Lakota golfer hopes third time's a charm

When Kyleigh Dull walked away from Sycamore Springs Golf Course in Arlington last week, she had punched her ticket to her fourth consecutive Division II state girls golf championship tournament. But something didn't sit well with her. The Lakota senior's round of 77 landed her in a tie for third place with Gibsonburg's Sydney Leyerle in the individual Division II district tournament standings. Mary Kelly Mulcahy of Lima Central Catholic medaled with a 73 and Ellen Naumann of St. Henry was second with a 76. "I'm a competitor," Dull said. "I don't like losing. It's one of the things I hate the most. At districts, I hated that feeling of losing. I told myself, 'I don't want to have that at state.'" Losing certainly isn't anything Dull has had to endure much during her high school career. In addition to beating most of the competition while playing on Lakota's boys team during the past four seasons and making her way through girls fields to four girls state tournaments, she's won or shared the last two Division II state girls titles. Now she has a shot at an unprecedented third championship this weekend at Ohio State's Gray Course in Columbus. "I've thought about it a lot," said Dull, who is scheduled to tee off at 10:40 a.m. Friday from the Gray Course's 10th hole. "Everyone's always telling me, 'No one's ever won it three times. You'd be the first one.' You know, that definitely puts pressure on me. It really does. But I've just got to focus on playing my game and not worry about anyone else because that's all that I can do. But it's pretty crazy that I'd be the first one to ever do it." "Every day, it's in the back of my mind. Specifically, I'm trying to play my best, which is what I think about every day, but winning three times is always back there and I just, like, casually think about it." As it is, Dull is one of just six girls to have won state twice. After finishing fourth as a freshman, she tied Shaker Heights Laurel School's Jami Morris for the 2018 championship. Last year, after shooting 70 on the first day to put herself within three shots of the lead, Dull followed up by matching the par-70 course record of 67 and ended up with a five-shot victory over Morris and Canton Central Catholic Spanish foreign exchange student Casilda Allendesalazar. Dull long ago set out to break records set by her sister, Makayla, who won the 2013 Division II state championship while qualifying for four state tournaments, played at the University of Akron and is now the head men's and women's golf coach at Lake Erie University in Painesville. Their parents, Troy and Cathy Dull, have been there every step of the way, with Troy having a hand in much of their daughters' golf instruction while also assisting Lakota coach Ty Ray. "At times, it's like you're on pins and needles," Troy said of watching his daughters play. "But to watch Makayla and her, you've kind of got accustomed to this game and, as successful as Makayla and Kyleigh have been, when you look at the overall picture, there are probably more valleys than peaks. So, you go through those rough stretches and you just continue to try to prepare with her. "Usually at this time of year, (Kyleigh) seems to be really on target. I don't think there's anyone who puts more time into it than her. I've always tried to pass along the (Benjamin Franklin) adage, 'Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.' And she's prepared more than anybody. She loves it. I've always told her, too, 'If someone does beat you and you've given everything you've got, you can look yourself in the mirror and say, 'I've given all I've got,' and you need to go shake that person's hand because they had a heck of a round." Part of Kyleigh's summer preparation for this season included winning the Northern Ohio Girls Junior PGA championship in Akron. Along the way, she also committed to continue her career at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, where she plans to study either education or business. Eastern Michigan's coach, alumnus Stephanie (Smoot) Jennings, starred at Eastwood High School and went on to be the 1998 Mid-American Conference player of the year before the league conducted championships in women's golf. "There was something about Eastern Michigan and the coach where I just had a good instinct, before I visited all the other schools, that that was my school," Dull said. "It just felt right. It's like you know someone's the one or you know something's right. I just had that gut instinct that I truly believe that's my school. I love the coach and the players. I think that we'll have great memories for the rest of our lives coming up. I have a bright future coming up for golf." But first there's that matter of the weekend's state tournament. She acknowledges that she's nervous at the start of any event, and her father believes nerves may have contributed to her shaky district showing. But few, if any, of the other players could know the course better. And no one else in the field has had the experience of winning two state titles. "I'm definitely going in trying to win it," Dull said. "I really don't like settling for second. If second happens, that's all I can do. I'm just trying to give it my all in my last year. Whatever happens, happens. But I am trying to win. I don't want to go in thinking second place. I'm definitely trying to win it."