River’s Bartek in tournament of her own at district golf

Cheng, a shot down going into the final round, fired an 82 Tuesday — six shots better than her Monday card — and ended up winning by 15 strokes with her two-day total of 170.

“I didn’t have the greatest round (Monday). I knew there was room for improvement,” said Cheng, a junior. “And then I played better today.”

She led the Titans to the team title. Union outpointed Skyview 179-176 for the program’s third consecutive district title. Mountain View also claimed a three-peat, taking the 3A district tournament, topping Prairie 187-164. (Interestingly, Union has won the past two 4A titles as well as the 3A title in 2010. Mountain View won the 4A title in 2010 and the past two 3A titles.)

Next for Bartek is the 3A state tournament, May 22-23 in Spokane. Bartek said the goal is to win it. She credits her commitment to the game and work with her swing coach Steve Schadewitz at Westside Golf with the direction her game is headed.

She even impressed her opponents. Stilwell played with Bartek in the final group Tuesday.

“You get to try to keep up with her while still trying to play your game,” Stilwell said. “In a way, she makes you play better. I love playing with Chloe.”

While she was not close to winning, Stillwell said she was thrilled with her second-place finish.

“It was a really big surprise. I can’t believe how far I’ve come,” she said. “I’m just steadily improving.”

Autumn Johnson, a senior from Evergreen, finished second in the 4A tournament. She led after the first round with an 87, then struggled to a 97 Tuesday. That final score did not bring her down, though.

“I’m ecstatic. I wasn’t expecting to make it all this far,” she said. “I was expecting maybe fifth or sixth place.”