CONWAY — The sports curse on Conway High School is dead, ending a half-century-long state title drought.

Buried like the short putt senior Resse Richardson hit to make it official, the Conway girls golf team won the school's first South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) team title at the Oct. 26-27 Class 4A tournament at the Hackler Course — about a par-5 from Coastal Carolina University’s campus and about 5 miles from Conway High.

The Tigers shot a two-day team total of 617, beating runners-up West Florence and May River (632) by 15 strokes. The state title-clinching victory comes after Conway lost a late lead last year.

"After last year we worked so hard to come back and win it all," said Richardson, who shot 144 to earn individual runner-up to medalist Harper Hedden of Hilton Head. "We knew this was going to be our year."

‘Long time coming’

Richardson led a balanced team effort by Gracyn Cox (156), Austen Deal (157) and Riley Batson (160) with Laynee Lamont and Grace Cooper also representing Conway. They doused fifth-year coach Brian Rogers after the win.

"These girls have put so much time and energy into this season and I’m so proud of them for getting it done," Rogers said. "Conway was the only school that took a chance on me, and I wanted to repay them in some way."

Consider it paid. By bringing the first SCHSL team title to Conway, the Tigers golf team made school history.

"We've had some individual state champions in wrestling and other sports, and we've had a lot of close calls," said Jason Cox, a 2001 Conway graduate and athletics director for Horry County Schools. "It's been a long time coming."

The Conway football team settled for four state runner-up trophies between 2001 and 2006. The Tigers have near-misses in baseball, girls basketball and other sports, including a state title in the unsanctioned sport of saltwater fishing, but not since the girls tennis team won in 1977 has Conway hoisted the big hardware.