Consecutive playoffs at the same course is just coincidence.

But three? At this point, Faith Martin has a trend going.

The South Warren sophomore is now 2-for-3 in matches decided by extra holes at Bowling Green Country Club. The latest gave Martin her second win in the young season Tuesday by defeating Laney Frye of Lexington Christian Academy to win the Gator Invitational.

Martin and Frye each shot 3-under 69 and needed two playoff holes to decide a champion.

Of course, this is nothing new for Martin, who went to playoff holes last year as a freshman in the Bowling Green Invitational Tournament and in the second round of the Van Meter Cup.

“I was a lot more comfortable today, definitely,” Martin said. “I think that’s what helped a whole lot.”

Martin and Frye each made par on No. 1 to start the playoff, then walked over to No. 9 to try and decide the tournament closer to the clubhouse.

Martin’s second shot on No. 9 mirrored her second shot on No. 1 – one that flew furthest away from the pin while still landing on the green.

She drained both lag putts to set up easy pars on the two holes. Frye’s putt on No. 9 lipped out, forcing her to tap in for bogey and finish runner-up in the playoff.

“The only place I didn’t want to be was on the back (of the green), so that definitely put a lot more pressure on myself, but since I got to putt first, that helped me put pressure on her,” Martin said.

Martin’s victory Tuesday is her second in South Warren’s three tournaments played so far this season. She opened the year with a sixth-place finish at the Shelby County Invitational, then shot 72 on Saturday to win the Taylor County Invitational.

“Obviously a good start gets me going and helps set the tone for the rest of the season,” Martin said.

That same tournament saw the defending Region 4 champions shoot a South Warren girls’ golf all-time low score of 329.

The Spartans shot 337 and finished fifth out of the 14 teams participating in the Gator Invitational on Tuesday. Sophomores McKenna Stahl and Abbie Cline shot 81 and 92, respectively, while junior Lauren Holeman shot 95 to round out the Spartans’ scores.

“(Martin) is our anchor and I challenged all the girls in the spring to focus on working hard now – do not wait until the summer,” SWHS coach Eric Holeman said. “Each and every one from top to bottom has been working their tails off since early spring and Faith is the one who leads the way.”

Greenwood senior Allison Wheeler shot a 7-over 79 to lead the Lady Gators with a team score of 353. First-year coach Kevin Clark is challenging his Greenwood team to step up and fill a void left by Sydney Durrant, who graduated as a consistent presence atop the region and in the state tournament.

“We’ve got Allison coming off an injury with some shoulder surgery, but she’s fighting her way through and she’s still going to be a strong performer for us,” Clark said. “We’ve got some youth and we’re trying to get some consistent numbers.”

Marshall County won the girls’ team title with a 309, followed by Frye leading LCA to a runner-up spot at 310.

Bowling Green’s Curd places third

Collier Curd wasn’t sure how his round would go in the Gator Invitational. The Bowling Green junior wasn’t hitting well Monday and didn’t have his best swings on the range Tuesday morning.

For all except the final hole, Curd couldn’t have asked for a better day, shooting a 5-under 67 to finish third in the boys’ individual standings Tuesday in the 20-team event at Bowling Green Country Club.

“Some stuff could’ve gone better and some stuff could’ve gone a lot worse,” Curd said. “I felt like I did pretty good considering. I think everything came together really nice.”

Curd’s 67 led Bowling Green’s top five golfers to a sixth-place finish with a team score of 317. The Purples finished two shots behind South Warren (315) while Greenwood placed in the top 10 with a 324.

Jansen Preston, who won the KHSAA boys’ state championship last year for Lexington Christian Academy, fired an 8-under 64 to win the individual Gator Invitational title. Taylor County’s Cooper Parks shot a 66 to finish runner-up and one shot ahead of Curd.

Jackson LaLonde shot 69 for LCA to boast two players in the 60s on its way to a team title with a 282.

Curd was on his way to tying for second until he bogeyed his final hole on the par-5 No. 5. His third-place finish is the second top-three in as many events after he and teammate Clark McDougal shot 74 to tie for third in the Best of the West tournament last week.

“It’s nice,” Curd said. “I’m still striving for first and I want my team to do good. I’m preparing to go to region and state. We got a lot of experience last year with me now being the 1-man and I think we’re going to improve a lot during the season.”

South Warren senior C.M. Mixon shot 1-under 71 to tie for seventh. In three tournaments to start the prep season, Mixon has shot under par in each outing with two wins in Owensboro. He shot a bogey-free 66 to win the Daviess County Invitational last Thursday and shot 68 to take first in the Owensboro Catholic Invitational on Monday.

“It feels great,” Mixon said. “It builds a lot of momentum for the rest of the season just because it’s a long season. The big thing I have to remember is this is a marathon, not a dash. It’s about keeping myself in contention every week I play and upholding the confidence by posting good rounds. I’m going to continue to do that and post low scores.”

Gator Invitational Scores

Boys’ Team

1. Lexington Christian Academy, 282

2. Taylor County, 285

3. St. Xavier, 289

4. Trinity, 304

5. South Warren, 315

6. Bowling Green A, 317

9. Allen County Scottsville – 323

10. Greenwood – 324

Boys’ Individual

1. Jansen Preston, Lexington Christian – 64 (-8)

2. Cooper Parks, Taylor County – 66

3. Collier Curd, Bowling Green – 67

4. George Schmid, St. Xavier – 68

5. Jackson LaLonde, Lexington Christian – 69

6. Luke Coyle, Taylor County – 70

T7. C.M. Mixon, South Warren – 71

T7. Andrew Sullivan, St. Xavier – 71

Girls’ Team

1. Marshall County, 309

2. Lexington Christian, 310

3. Sacred Heart, 318

4. McCracken County, 334

5. South Warren, 337

6. Greenwood, 353

T10. Glasgow, 386

Girls’ Individual

1. Faith Martin, South Warren – 69

2. Laney Frye, Lexington Christian – 69

3. Hallie Riley, Marshall County – 70

4. Savannah Howell, Marshall County – 74

5. Taylor Edlin, Sacred Heart – 76