PINEHURST — When she walked onto Pinehurst No. 5’s 18th green on Tuesday afternoon during the second day of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s 4A state championship, Richmond Senior High School golfer Hailey Miller took a deep breath and soaked everything in.
She noticed a barrage of cameras and cell phones all pointing in her direction. Miller stared at her ball, which sat three feet from the cup on a slight downhill slant. The senior then stepped up, took a couple of practice swings, and drained the par putt to cap her illustrious high school career.
“I saw everyone videoing me, and I thought to myself ‘I’ve got to make putt this to end my career with a par,” Miller smiled. “I was just really trying to take it all in and my dad was there videoing me. It was a special moment and I was just really relieved I made it.”
Miller was the lone Lady Raider to compete in this year’s state championship, which marked the third straight season she made the trip to the title round. She battled a tough No. 5 course, and posted a two-day score of 187, which put her in 68th place. During Monday’s round she shot a 93 (+21) before posting a 94 (+22) on Tuesday for her final scorecard.
Senior Hailey Miller at the 4A state championship tournament at Pinehurst No. 5.
A four-year golfer for Richmond, Miller was also a four-year regionals round qualifier. Although she admitted she hoped to have placed better during her senior season, Miller said she wouldn’t trade the past four years for anything.
“I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to make all of those appearances at regionals and states,” Miller reflected on Wednesday. “Going to four regionals and three state tournaments are accomplishments in themselves. I’m sad it’s over, but now I can go out and play anytime for fun.
“The last four years have been so much fun,” she added. “I learned a lot about myself and I definitely became a better golfer. When I made that par putt (on No. 18), it was a really good ending to my career.”
During the opening round on Monday, Miller posted a 43 (+7) on the front before finishing with a 47 (+11) on the back. On the opening nine holes she had two pars (No. 1 and No. 7), a birdie on the par three No. 5 and three bogeys (Nos. 4, 8 and 9). The back half of day one par and five bogeys.
Tuesday would fare about the same for Miller, with three pars on the front nine (Nos. 4, 6 and 9). No. 13, a par five of 439 yards, saw her struggle off the tee box and post a +7 on the hole. But she regained her composure and finished the final five holes with par putt attempts on each of them.
“My putting came in big at states, and the first day my putting was really good and so were my iron shots,” Miller explained. “The second day my drives were solid off the tee, but I just had a couple of bad holes that took me out of contention.
“My best shot was definitely the birdie on No. 5 the first day,” she added. “It was a 20-foot putt right to left down the hill. I just read it and hit the ball and it went in. I also went up and down a few times, so that kept my confidence up.”
Winning the individual championship was Pinecrest High School’s Jaclyn Kenzel, whose two-day total of 142 (-2) was one stroke better than Panther Creek High School’s Megan Morris. The Lady Patriots, who are members of the Sandhills Athletic Conference like Richmond, also won the team state championship (450, +18) on their home course.
Not only has Miller served as the Lady Raiders’ best golfer on the scorecard since her freshman year, she’s also developed into a trusted leader to her teammates. She spent the first two years of her career playing for former head coach Jeff Ingram, and closed it with current coach Keith Parsons.
“Being a Lady Raider has taught me not to give up, especially with some of my rounds this year,” Miller explained. “It wasn’t my best year, but the leadership aspect of being on the team made me step up. I wanted to be the biggest support I could be to my teammates.”
Her favorite memory was sinking her only career ace during last year’s state championship at Pinehurst No. 1. On the par three No. 8 using her five iron, Miller delivered the ball 166 yards to the green where it dropped, rolled toward the pin and fell into the cup.
The hole-in-one was the first ace in at least a decade in the 4A state tournament and the first NCHSAA championship hole-in-one at any level since Joyce Zhang of Weddington High School recorded one in the 3A tournament in 2016.
“I’ve always had the support of my family, my teammates and my coaches,” Miller closed. “It’s been a great four years and I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”
