Katie Drew’s third Ladies Lincoln Highway golf title was a bit more special on Saturday at Shady Oaks Country Club.

It was the first time that Katie, a 2024 Dixon grad, got to play in the same tournament as her younger sister, Rachel.

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It was Katie’s third title in four years as her Timber Creek team finished as runner-up to Kishwaukee. Timber Creek posted a two-day total of +99 in the best-against-bogey format to take second after three straight titles. Kishwaukee tallied a +119, led by a runner-up finish by Northern Illinois University women’s golf coach Kim Kester (+30).

Katie emerged from a jumbled top of the leaderboard with a +31. She was tied with Kester, Ava Hackman, Alayna Brandt and Kristie Pultorak after Friday’s opening round.

“It keeps the field competitive into today,” Katie said. “There was a group of four of us leaders today, so we had a good day. Everybody in the group played well, and it was just a good day of good golf with a lot of nice people.”

She played the course for the first time a couple weeks ago and said it was in great condition for the tournament.

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“It’s not the longest course, but there’s a lot more narrow holes, so being able to know when to take irons versus being more aggressive,” she said. “I think key for me was just playing smart.

“I took 8-iron off the tee more than I took driver just to keep myself in play, but then in the best position to get on in the second shot.”

She said it was fun to play in the same tournament for the first time with Rachel, who will be a sophomore at Dixon. Rachel qualified for state as a freshman and was third on Timber Creek Saturday with a +11.

“It’s super exciting,” Katie said. “She’s starting to kind of develop more of a love for the game that I’ve had, so it’s super cool to see that as well.

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“She played really well today, so I’m proud of her and happy for her to come out and play and see her game continue to develop.”

Rachel said playing in the best-against-bogey format was a unique experience for her.

“I definitely had to change how I thought and change how I played,” she said. “I took less drivers off the tee, and played a lot smarter based off what I learned yesterday.”

Getting to compete behind her older sister was also a fun experience.

“We didn’t get a year in high school together, but playing this weekend was really, really fun,” she said. “I can’t wait to keep playing with her.”

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Rachel said she’s excited for the upcoming high school season. She said she’s only one of three players but hopes to get a fourth on the team.

“I would love to go back to state and be a lot more successful,” she said. “I’m really excited and I’m prepping hard to get better each day.”

Katie recently passed her nursing boards after attending Sauk Valley College and will start her career at CGH Medical Center.

“So I’ll just play golf here and there just kind of for fun,” she said. “I’ve been playing better. My handicap right now is plus-4.1, so I’m trending upward.

“I was 2-under for the two days in actual score.”

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She said it’s always fun competing with Timber Creek.

“Especially with the group of people we have out here,” she said. “And then you also have the small town feel to it.”

Timber Creek’s Pultorak finished with a +24, followed by Rachel Drew (+11), Mimi Boysen (+9), Alex Oliver (+9), Nikki Masini (+8), Barb Curia (+7) and Patty Head (+2).