Ramstein junior Nora Hacker celebrates as she sinks her par putt on the No. 17 hole during the second day of the 2025 DODEA European golf championships on Oct. 17, 2025, at Woodlawn Golf Course on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany – The Ramstein girls golf team received a European championship last fall, but it came with an asterisk: it had to be shared with crosstown rival Kaiserslautern.

First-year head coach Greg Hewitt had one message for the Royals heading into the 2025 DODEA European golf championships:

“Give them no reason to (give it to anyone) – it’s yours,” he said.

Following the final round at Woodlawn Golf Course on Friday, nobody doubted who the new queens of the links are.

The Royals amassed 160 points on the modified Stableford scoring system, starting with individual champion Nora Hacker’s 73. Mya Boynton added 58 as the runner-up, and Brianna Boswell chipped in with another 29, good enough for fifth place.

Ramstein doubled its closest opponent, the Raiders, who had 77. Wiesbaden came in third with 70.

“We have a great team,” Hacker said. “We’ve had new people come along, and they have been awesome. We all support each other, and it’s really great.”

It helps when you have a one-two punch such as Hacker and Boynton, who placed third and second respectively at last fall’s finals. The juniors came into the championships as favorites alongside Wiesbaden freshman Janine Buenaobra.

They didn’t disappoint over the two days, especially Friday. Hacker improved 27 points from last year’s championship total, while Boynton shot eight higher.

Rather than be jealous, Boynton expressed pride in her teammate coming out on top.

“I’m really happy for her this year that she won,” Boynton said. “Next year, hopefully I come back and beat her. We have a good little competition going on. We push each other hard.”

Hacker entered Friday with a comfortable eight-point advantage over Buenaobra, but she didn’t rest on her laurels.

The Royal junior recorded 38 points Friday, scoring on each hole. While usually favoring the first nine holes at Woodlawn, Hacker had an even split of 19 points on the front and back nines.

“The first couple of holes, I was feeling very nervous, and I could tell by my shots, but toward the end, I pulled myself together,” Hacker said. “It feels great. The hard work really paid off.”

The only golfer who came close to matching Hacker was Boynton, who had a 35 on the day – highlighted by a birdie on the No. 11 hole. That performance allowed her to jump over Buenaobra for second place.

Ramstein junior Mya Boynton chips onto the No. 17 green during the second day of the 2025 DODEA European golf championships on Oct. 17, 2025, at Woodlawn Golf Course on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Wiesbaden freshman Janine Buenaobra chips out of the woods on the No. 6 hole during the second day of the 2025 DODEA European golf championships on Oct. 17, 2025, at Woodlawn Golf Course on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein's Nora Hacker drives off the No. 6 tee during the second day of the 2025 DODEA European golf championships on Oct. 17, 2025, at Woodlawn Golf Course on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein’s Mya Boynton hits the ball on the No. 5 fairway during the second day of the 2025 DODEA European golf championships on Oct. 17, 2025, at Woodlawn Golf Course on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Wiesbaden's Janine Buenaobra follows her shot off the No. 5 tee during the second day of the 2025 DODEA European golf championships on Oct. 17, 2025, at Woodlawn Golf Course on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Wiesbaden's Lavender Pate tees off the No. 11 hole during the second day of the 2025 DODEA European golf championships on Oct. 17, 2025, at Woodlawn Golf Course on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein's Brianna Boswell chips onto the No. 9 green during the second day of the 2025 DODEA European golf championships on Oct. 17, 2025, at Woodlawn Golf Course on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Buenaobra said playing with the Ramstein pair has motivated her to step up her game.

She said she already knew she had to work on her driving and putting, but a normal strength let her down Friday.

“During this championship, (my chip game) was wishy-washy,” Buenaobra said. “My chipping’s what I rely on. Since I can’t putt very well, I try to chip the ball as close as I can, but during the championship, it was long, it was short. It was giving me harder putt chances.”

The Warrior isn’t the only one driven to advance her game. All three players anticipate being in the top girls’ group once again when next fall’s title tournament tees off.

“It forces me to want to push myself harder going up against two good competitors,” Boynton said. “Next year, I think it’s definitely going to be a very hard competition, knowing that we’re going to all improve.”