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Jade Gruher back on course with her Union teammates

After missing out on state last two season, Titans ready to return

By Tim Martinez, Columbian Assistant Sports Editor

Published: March 31, 2022, 6:00am

3 Photos

Union golfer Jade Gruher hits an approach shot onto the sixth green at Camas Meadows Golf Club on Thursday, March 24, 2022. (Tim Martinez/The Columbian) Photo Gallery

Two years ago, Jade Gruher showed up at Union High School ready to take high school girls golfing in Southwest Washington by storm.

Then her freshman season ended up consisting of one match.

“I was really excited because I knew a lot of people on the team at that time, and they were seniors,” Gruher said. “We met up before the season and got to know each other. We were talking about carpooling to the course together and having so much fun. … And then we played our first match, and I was like ‘This is new. This is something I haven’t done before. I can see myself doing this the rest of high school.’ ”

As it turned out, the pandemic kept her from doing it the rest of her freshman year.

She was glad to get back on the course with her teammates last spring, even though the season was slightly condensed.

“Even last year, when we didn’t get a full season, it was still a long enough season to have fun,” Gruher said. “And even though we didn’t get a state tournament, we still had a district tournament.”

Last spring was unusually dry in the Pacific Northwest, offering high school girls golfers a bit of a reprieve from the usual soggy spring conditions.

But the soggiest day of last spring also coincided with the final day of the 4A/3A district tournament at Lewis River Golf Course.

“Oh my gosh, yes, district was so wet,” Gruher said. “I was looking forward to being out there in short sleeves, skirt. And it just started dumping.

Gruher kept busy last summer playing in various Oregon Junior Golf events as well as some American Junior Golf Association events in Nevada and Montana.

“I enjoy playing people from other states,” she said. “It’s great to look at what they are doing on the course, and what I am doing differently. And then I can decide if there is something I want to try, especially in different weather conditions.”

The highlight of her summer season was placing 12th in the AJGA Junior at Big Sky at Big Sky, Mont., last August. Gruher shot a 9-over 225 for 54 holes, including a second-round 1-over 73.

“There were some college coaches (there) who watched, and I shot my best round of the summer there,” Gruher said.

Gruher is part of junior-heavy roster at Union this spring.

She and partner Allie Piland opened the season with a runner-up finish at the Flamingo Cup at Mint Valley Golf Course in Longview. Last week, the Titans tied Mountain View and notched a win over Skyview.

Gruher sees Union getting better as the season progresses.

“We have one senior and one sophomore in our top six; the rest are juniors,” Gruher said. “They have, from the beginning when we started practicing to now, improved significantly, both their score and their swing. So I’m excited to see how much better they can be and what their potential is.”

And she is really looking forward to getting a chance to compete at state, something the pandemic took away from her in her freshman and sophomore seasons.

“I’m really excited that we get a state tournament this year,” she said. “It will be fun to compete against everyone in the state.”

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