Milford’s Megan Creager hits a pitch shot during the district tournament. She finished in a tie for 16th place at state this past weekend.

Milford’s Megan Creager hits a pitch shot during the district tournament. She finished in a tie for 16th place at state this past weekend.
By Chris Chaney
Sun staff

At a time of year when most golfers are beginning to store away their clubs for the winter, Milford High School’s Megan Creager was in Columbus last weekend finishing off a historic high school career and competing against the best female golfers in the state.

“It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. I’m glad I finally got to go,” Creager said of playing the Gray Course at the Ohio State University Golf Club in the state tournament. “It was really nerve-wracking as well because I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I’m definitely happy that I was able to do it.”

Advancing to the Division I state tournament by way of the Walden Ponds sectional and Weatherwax district sites, Creager was one of 72 golfers who earned the right to tee it up in Columbus for a two-day stroke play event that would eventually crown a state champion.

Having never set foot on the Gray Course before her Thursday, Oct. 16 practice round, Creager had to become a quick study to a course that routinely ranks among the best in Ohio.

“The course was different than I expected,” Creager explained. “There were a few holes that got me and putting was the most difficult because they had the pin positions in difficult places, but overall, I’d say the course was fair.”

Having proven that she is capable of shooting sub-par rounds throughout the course of her senior season, Creager said she wasn’t taking any expectations into the week, but her coach, Sandy Garrison, said that she believed her standout was capable of anything and had spent her entire season preparing for this weekend.

Teeing off at 9:40 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 17, Creager opened up with a shaky 6-over par 41 on the front nine before coming in with a 3-over par 38 on the back nine to card a 79 and put her in the top-20 individually after the first day.

Regrouped following the first day, Creager took to the Gray Course on Saturday and improved her mark by a stroke, posting an 8-over par 78 to finish at 157 and in a tie for 16th in the state. Creager was just three strokes out of the top-10 and 12 shy of individual medalist Nikolette Schroeder of Avon Lake High School who shot a two-day total of 5-over par 145.

For Creager, the culmination of her high school career was just the next step in her golfing journey. The Youngstown State commit said that her experience at the state tournament, along with the challenging summer tournament schedule she has been playing will only help her going forward.

“The distances (of the courses) at the state tournament will definitely help (in the future),” Creager said. “You’re playing with the best of the best and that’s what it’ll be like at the college level. (It’s helped) to learn how to handle myself in the pressure situations. The amount of people there watching can be overwhelming, but it’s great preparation for what I expect in college.”

Creager will play under head coach Nate Miklos next year for the Penguins.