By Charlie Bergmann: Sports Writer

The Pinecrest girls’ golf team qualified all four of its entries in Monday’s Central Regional at Pinehurst No. 1 for next week’s state 4-A championship at Foxfire Golf and Country Club.

The Patriots’ Jordan Ridge finished fourth individually with a four-over-par round of 77. Others joining the 26 golfers from the regional that advance to the East Course at Foxfire from the Patriots were Courtney Scheidemann, with an 89, Michelle Sohn, with a 92, and Caitlin Miller, with a 93.

Kristen Billings of Ashley shot a round of 72 over the course set up at 5, 297 yards that played to a par of 73 to earn medalist honors. Greensboro Page won the team title by three strokes over runner-up Northwest Guilford. The Patriots finished in a tie with New Hanover for fourth place.

Ridge, the Mid-Southeastern Conference Golfer of the Year, was in the first group that made the trip around the course in three hours and 15 minutes, while producing three of the day’s four lowest scores. One of the players was the medalist, Billings, who shot a 33 on the front nine. The other was Kathleen Strandberg of Page, the second-place finisher with an even-par 73.

Ridge left some strokes on the table over the last four holes, making bogeys on the 15th and 17th and missing makeable birdie putts on 16 and 18. Her only birdie came on the second hole. She was also having some problems with her tee shot.

“I just couldn’t make a birdie putt today,” the junior said. “I was hitting my driver to the right until the 16th hole. I kept thinking about all the things my coach told me. I figured out it was a little change in my hands. My grip was too weak.”

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) state 4-A championship is a 36-hole event that will be held on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. The qualifiers from the Central Regional will be joined by qualifiers from the East and West regionals. The team scores for the regional and state championships are the sum of the two lowest scores for each team.

Central Region top-10 individuals: Kristen Billings of Ashley, 72; Kathleen Strandberg of Page, 73; Erica Creed of Northwest Guilford, 76; Jordan Ridge of Pinecrest, 77; Kerri Dice of East Chapel Hill, 78; Jessica Boney of New Hanover, 80; Julia Strandberg of Page 82; Sarah Schach of New Hanover, 82; Sara Nunnally of Northwest Guilford, 86; Gretchen McLean of Douglas Byrd, 86.