Girls Golf: Pistono Opens Season With School and Course-Record 60!
Updated: 9 minutes ago
The Woodlands senior delivered 10 birdies, an eagle and no bogeys at the Heart of Texas Championship, setting school and course records on a day that reflected years of preparation and support.
Friday, Sept. 18, 2026 | 2026 Heart of Texas Championship — Round 1
GLEN ROSE, Texas — By the time Payson Pistono walked off the 13th green Friday morning at Apache Links, the number on her scorecard deserved to stand on its own: 60.
Twelve under par. Ten birdies. One eagle. Seven pars. No bogeys.
The Woodlands High School senior had completed the lowest round of her career and established both a school record and a course record during the opening day of the 2026 Heart of Texas Championship. She had lowered her previous best on a par-72 course by seven shots and placed her name alongside the most accomplished golfers to come through The Woodlands program.
“When you shoot 60, you always have to be happy,” Pistono said.
A score that low can look sudden when reduced to a single line on a leaderboard. Pistono's performance was anything but sudden. It grew from years of competition, thousands of practice shots, monthly father-daughter trips to Austin, a wide circle of coaches and mentors, strength training in Kingwood and a team environment built around five players pushing one another.
Friday's setup measured 5,435 yards on Apache Links, one of two 18-hole courses at the municipal Squaw Valley Golf Course. Designed by Jeff Brauer and opened in 1992, Apache Links moves from a more open, links-style front nine into a more heavily wooded back nine. The par-4 15th and 16th holes, part of Pistono's opening stretch, require precise play around the winding creek. Squaw Valley has consistently ranked among the state's top five municipal courses in The Dallas Morning News and was voted the No. 3 public course in Texas by golfers on GolfPass.
The Round Begins to Build
Pistono did not begin the 8 a.m. shotgun start on No. 1. She opened on the par-3 14th hole, where her approach finished a few paces right of the green. It would be the only green she missed all day.
She got up and down for par, birdied No. 15 and added pars on Nos. 16 and 17. Her drive on the par-5 18th took a bad bounce and left her without a safe attempt at the green. Instead of forcing the shot, she called over The Woodlands coach Chad Handley, talked through the options, punched out to about 60 yards and got up and down for birdie.
That decision moved her to 2 under and sent her to No. 1 with momentum.
“Going into this tournament, I always have expectations,” Pistono said. “Obviously, the goal is always to shoot under par. But I really wasn’t thinking I had a certain score in mind or anything. I just wanted to have fun.”
Then came five consecutive birdies on Nos. 1 through 5.
Pistono made par at No. 6, birdied No. 7, eagled the par-5 eighth and birdied No. 9. She played the course's front nine in 9-under 27, with one par across the nine holes.
“It just seemed like everything was going right,” Pistono said. “I was dropping putts. I wasn’t honestly hitting it that close. I was just making a lot of 10-footers, a lot of 15-footers, and I stayed in my bubble.”
The atmosphere remained loose even as word of her score moved around the course. Pistono talked and sang with her group as she normally does. Her playing partners joked that they were beginning to assume every putt was another birdie. Friends in groups behind her encouraged her to keep going.
“I wasn’t really paying attention to the outside noise,” she said. “I like to stay in my zone, but I’m also a person — I like to have fun on the course.”
When a Remarkable Round Became Historic
The number did not fully register with Pistono until she finished No. 9 and looked at what she had just done.
“I turned to my dad and I was like, ‘That’s 9 under through nine. That’s a 27. That’s my PR for nine holes,’” she said. “And then I realized kind of where I was at.”
The last four holes felt different. Pistono said the nerves began to show in her swing and putting. She made pars on Nos. 10 and 11, then got up and down for birdie on the par-5 12th. That moved her to 12 under with only No. 13 remaining.
Coach Jones, a member of The Woodlands coaching staff, walked with her late in the round and helped keep the final hole from becoming larger than the next shot. Pistono described Jones as the team's “therapist” — the coach who changes the subject, asks about dinner or a favorite color and helps players stop replaying the past.
“Questions like that just really help you get your mind off golf, not worry so much about what happened in the past and just focus on the future,” Pistono said. “He helps you talk it through, and I think when you hear yourself say it, it just reassures you more that you’re going to hit a great shot.”
Pistono did not hit her best tee shot on No. 13, but she and Jones worked through what came next. Her approach found the green. A final birdie putt would have produced a 59. It slipped by, and Pistono tapped in to complete her historic 60.
She acknowledged the natural, momentary disappointment of coming that close to breaking 60, but she did not allow one missed putt to diminish the round.
“When you shoot 60, you always have to be happy,” Pistono said.
The score lowered her previous best on a par-72 course by seven strokes. Pistono had shot 67 before Friday and recorded a 66 on a par-70 course at the same tournament last year.
The record also placed her name alongside a line of The Woodlands golfers that includes Stacy Lewis, Ashley Knoll and Cheyenne Knight.
“It feels really good to kind of have my name up there with some of the great golfers that have come through The Woodlands,” Pistono said.
A Father Who Would Not Let Her Quit
Pistono first learned competition in a different sport. She was a gymnast through Level 8 at Maximum Athletics, but golf was always waiting outside her home.
Her family lived along the first hole of their home course, and her father made sure golf never disappeared from her life. Pistono said she has had a club in her hand since she was about 5 years old.
“My dad never let me quit golf,” she said. “When I got into high school, I wanted to be on the team, and I’m forever grateful that I am a part of this team because I really have grown so much from freshman year.”
Father and daughter once traded wins when they played together. She believes she began beating him around her freshman year. He was there for her first birdie and first par, and he watched her make her first hole-in-one during a high school tournament as a sophomore.
“He’s gotten to experience all these moments with me,” Pistono said. “He’s definitely a reason why I still continue to do this sport. He pushes me — I’m not going to lie — but I think it only makes me better.”
That support now includes a monthly father-daughter trip to Austin for a two-hour lesson with Brech Spradley, owner and director of instruction at Barton Creek Golf Academy at the Fazio Canyons golf course.
A Class A PGA member with nearly 30 years of coaching experience, Spradley has been recognized as a GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher in America and has consistently appeared among Golf Digest’s Best Teachers in Texas. He has developed a national reputation for preparing elite junior golfers to compete for prominent college programs including Texas, Stanford, Wake Forest and Oklahoma State.
That experience closely matches the stage Pistono has reached in her own career as she prepares for NCAA Division I golf at the University of Wyoming.
Pistono began working with Spradley in January. Between their monthly sessions, they communicate by text, and he provides drills she can use at home.
“He has really elevated my game,” Pistono said. “I just take a day trip up there and try to make the most of my time there.”
Her mother is part of the routine, too. Pistono said she does not play golf, but walks the course, attends every tournament and has been present for each major moment.
“She’s one of my biggest supporters,” Pistono said. “She’s always been there for every big moment. Never missed a tournament.”
The Coaches Behind the Score
Spradley is the newest member of a coaching circle Pistono was careful to credit.
She thanked Allen Riley for his earlier work with her game and called Susie Redman-Kirk, the longtime LPGA professional and instructor in The Woodlands, an important mentor. Pistono remains a member at The Woodlands Country Club even after moving her primary instruction to Barton Creek.
At school, Handley manages the competitive structure and gives his experienced players room to work. Pistono said he knows when to stay back and when a player needs another voice. On No. 18, after the difficult bounce, she waved him over because she wanted to talk through the safer recovery shot.
“If we want somebody to talk through the shot and just have reassurance, he’s always there and helpful,” Pistono said.
Handley saw more than low scores Friday. He saw a senior handling a situation that would have affected her differently a year ago.
“She’s become a way better leader. Way better,” Handley said. “More mature.”
He said Pistono previously could become tense or anxious when a round carried that much pressure. On Friday, she remained able to talk, make decisions and continue playing her game.
Pistono also works away from the golf course with Matt Wright of Kingwood, a licensed physical therapist and Board-Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist whose work connects physical rehabilitation, strength development and sports performance.
That combination gives Pistono a training program focused on more than generating additional clubhead speed. She credits her work with Wright for adding distance throughout her bag while also improving her stamina and helping protect her body from injury during long practices and tournament rounds.
“I’ve gained so much yardage with my driver and all my clubs since switching to him,” Pistono said. “It helps with your yardage, but it also helps prevent injury and helps with stamina.”
That attention to stamina continues during tournament rounds. Pistono begins with a protein shake, eats grapes and a granola bar near the midpoint of the round and has a small smoothie later. She drinks Gatorade throughout the day to remain hydrated in the Texas heat.
The Putter That Changed the Round
Pistono still describes herself as an iron player. Approach shots and wedges have traditionally been the foundation of her game.
“I’m an iron player through and through,” she said. “I love my wedges. Anytime I have a wedge in my hand, I know I’m going to hit it close.”
Friday was different because the putting matched the ball-striking. Pistono switched during the summer to a center-shafted TaylorMade Spider putter.
“I’ve always struggled with putting,” she said. “Ever since switching to it, you can definitely tell that there’s a difference.”
Her complete competition setup includes: Her equipment reflects both the strengths she has developed and the part of her game she has worked hardest to improve. Pistono plays a Ping G430 driver and TaylorMade P790 irons. A self-described “iron player through and through,” she carries Titleist Vokey SM10 wedges for the scoring shots she approaches with the most confidence.
The most significant recent change was her decision to put a center-shafted TaylorMade Spider putter in the bag during the summer. Putting had traditionally been a difficult part of her game, but she said the new putter has changed her confidence on the greens—a difference that showed as she converted a series of 10- and 15-foot putts during her round of 60.
Pistono plays a Titleist Pro V1x golf ball. Her G/FORE shoes bring a more personal element to the setup. She owns 13 pairs and selects them according to what she is wearing.
“I match them to my outfits,” Pistono said. “It’s my favorite part.”
Pistono also follows a consistent nutrition and hydration plan during tournament rounds. She begins with a protein shake, eats grapes and a granola bar near the midpoint of the round and has a small smoothie later. She drinks Gatorade throughout the day to remain hydrated in the Texas heat.
Five Players Pushing One Another
Pistono's 60 led The Woodlands to a team score of 290, 2 over, and fifth place after Round 1. Joann Bee added a 2-under 70, Jennifer (Qianhua) Chen shot 79, Rachel Sorensen shot 81 and Vivian Tran shot 83. The four lowest scores counted toward the team total.
Orion International Academy led at 26-under 262, followed by Southlake Carroll at 277, Frisco Panther Creek at 283 and Austin Vandegrift at 287.
The Woodlands' place among that group carried its own significance. The girls golf program has long been one of the state's most respected, winning three consecutive UIL Class 5A team championships in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Its history includes individual state champion Ashley Knoll and future college and professional standouts such as Stacy Lewis and Cheyenne Knight. The current generation has continued that tradition: The Woodlands finished fourth at the 2026 Class 6A state tournament, the highest finish by a Houston-area team.
That history gives every qualifying round and tournament lineup additional weight. Players are not simply trying to earn one of five places; they are entering a program where competing deep into the postseason and measuring themselves against the best teams in Texas are established expectations.
Pistono believes the strength of The Woodlands comes from having several players capable of producing the low score on a given day. They compete individually in tournaments and qualifying, but she said they hold one another accountable when they come together for the school.
“I fully believe that iron sharpens iron,” Pistono said. “We get to push each other every day, whether it’s in qualifying or practice, and we have such a great team bond. We’re not just five individuals out there. We really do play as one team.”
A Career Still Building
The 60 added to an already decorated junior résumé. Pistono entered Friday as the 2026 Texas Junior Golf Tour Texas Match Play Invitational champion, a title she secured after 80 holes over three days and a 6-and-5 victory in the final match. She also won the 2026 Vortech Contracting H-Town Showdown by six strokes with rounds of 70 and 69 for a 3-under 139.
In 2025, Pistono won the Insperity Invitational Tour Championship wire-to-wire at Champions Golf Club, finishing the two-round event at 1-over 143 and earning full exemptions on the Legends Junior Tour. She has helped The Woodlands contend for regional championships and top-five state finishes and placed third individually at the Region II-6A tournament.
Friday's 60 was not the beginning of that story. It was a new high point in it.
The Student Behind the Scorecard
Pistono's summer prepared her for the moment. She traveled to qualifiers and tournaments around the country, looking for the strongest fields she could find, and finished 11 rounds at even par or better.
The senior has verbally committed to continue her academic and golf career at the University of Wyoming. She is also a National Honor Society member with a 4.5 GPA and ranks in the top 20% of her class.
The celebration Friday night was expected to be simple — dinner with the team and, Pistono hoped, some ice cream. Then the focus would return to Saturday's second round on a different course at the facility.
“Yes, I shot 60 today, but am I going to do that tomorrow? Honestly, the odds aren’t fully in my favor to do that tomorrow,” Pistono said. “We have to do the same thing tomorrow — take it one shot at a time, try to hit fairways and greens and let the putts fall. Don’t try to force anything. I think that’s the big thing.”
By The Woodlands Student Center Staff
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