With the 2021 girl’s golf season already underway, there are a number of teams looking to stand out amongst some of the best in the region.
There are also a number of dominant players returning to the course in 2021, including Macey Brown of Apollo, Holly Holton and Addison Heady of Daviess County and many more.
Daviess County:
With a strong upper class and returning players that strengthen its core, Daviess County girl’s golf is ready to show everyone just how good they can be.
The team is led by three seniors, Holly Holton, Addison Heady and Kirsten Henderson, a trio that Head Coach Logan Clark knows he can count on.
“These three have been a part of this program since middle school, and they are now ready to have a strong senior season and lead this team in a big way,” Clark said. “They all have made improvements over the off season and are ready for a successful season.”
They will be joined by returning junior Megan Haynes, sophomore Annalee Yager and eighth grade Baylie Billingsley, who have taken leaps in their game during the offseason to take the varsity roster to the next level.
“These three have all been a part of the program before this season, but this year they will all have the opportunity to make their varsity debuts and contribute in a big way,” Clark said. “They have all put in the work over the offseason and are ready to play at the varsity level.”
With all the work that was done on their physical game, the mental side of the game is something that Clark said they have to key in on.
“One area we definitely need to improve in is our confidence. We have all the right tools to compete and play well but if the confidence isn’t there we won’t have the results we know we can have. Another is focusing and practicing the fundamentals. Sometimes we get so focused on other aspects of the game or competition that are not so important and we slack off in other areas. This year I want to focus on what’s important with this team and have a great season.”
Clark expects his seniors to deliver, but to ensure major success over the course of the season his younger athletes will need to show up in a big way.
“One key to our success will be my Seniors having a good season with solid play,” Clark said. “They have been there, done that, and can really take this team to another level if they realize that and run with it. Another key will be my young varsity newcomers having some success as well. If they can overcome nerves and just go out there and play their game we have the potential to do well overall.”
All in all, Clark has complete faith in his team and expects big things despite the tough competition that they will face.
“This season I expect this team to come out and have success,” Clark said. “We have a lot of leadership back on this team with our strong senior presence, which should go a long way. The competition will be tight on the local level and regional level, so I’m excited to see how we will stack up.”
Owensboro:
Now that its young core has a little experience, Owensboro girl’s golf is looking forward to competing amongst the best of the best this season.
Owensboro has a slew of golfers returning, despite being a relatively young group. They are led by Alexa Samalah, an eighth grader that will be in her second year at the varsity level.
“She qualified for state last year as a seventh grader,” Head Coach Kip Walters said. “She has a really nice swing and has a great work ethic. She continues to get better and find ways to cut down strokes.”
She is joined by sophomore Ellie Watson and freshman Phoenix Barnett who are both in their third year with the team. Walters said the two both have great work ethics and have made valiant efforts to cut down on strokes for the upcoming season.
Other notable players include junior Lily Galloway and freshman Kaylie Moore, two golfers that Walters said continually improve.
“Both are continuing to get better,” Walters said. “They are learning ways to be more accurate with their swings and improve their scores.”
Walters said that obviously there is always room for improvement, but the team specifically focused on green-play going into the 2021 season.
“We have been focusing on ways we can cut down on strokes around the green,” Walters said. “We’ve been working to be more accurate with our chipping, and also with our putting. We’ve been focusing on having no more than two putts on a hole, which has helped already in our scores. I expect this will continue to get better and our scores will show this improvement in our play.”
Walters said in recent years they were more focused on learning more about the game in order to better prepare themselves to compete in the future. With a little experience under their belt, Walters and company are ready to show what they’ve got.
“The past couple of years, we have been learning the game and not really focusing on competing with other teams,” Walters said. “Now that we better understand the game and ways we can cut down strokes, I feel we have a chance now to compete with some of the other teams around. We have a group that wants to learn and get better. This type of focus and work ethic will help us continue to lower our individual and team scores and have a chance to win a few matches this year.”
Walters said that the main key to finding success this season will be just imitating what they do in practice on game days. If they can do that, Walters knows they can be a force to be reckoned with.
“We practice certain things on the driving range and on the putting green,” Walters said. “We need to make sure we remember those things during our matches. Another key for us is confidence. This is one area I see our group improving in. Golf is not an easy game to play, but I can tell that this group is trusting their swings more and feeling more confident in their play.
Owensboro Catholic:
Owensboro Catholic may have graduated some of its key players in 2020, but there’s budding potential in the Aces’ young roster for the upcoming season.
The Aces have two golfers returning in Conleigh Osborne and RC Porter, who are strong competitors who will lead the roster at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots.
They will be joined by a plethora of other young players including Lainey Ann Osborne, Olivia McPherson, Addie-Belle Rutman, Elizabeth Wright, Chloe Calitri, and Hannah Robbins.
Head Coach Stacey Johnson said that the team will be looking forward to gaining valuable experience during the season, but ultimately she’s confident that her team’s potential will show with some hard work.
“We are still in a growing phase this year but our young players have a great deal of potential,” Johnson said. “They will be working on dedicated practice routines and learning all that they can.”
In order for them to succeed this season, Johnson said the team must have laser-sharp attention to detail and a strong work ethic.
“Practice, practice, Practice,” Johnson said. “We have really hit practice hard this season because it takes time and dedication to get where we want to go. I’d like to see more focus this season. Our team has a great time together but it’s now time to mix that with intentionality.”
Apollo:
Led by one of the best golfers in the commonwealth in Macey Brown, Apollo girl’s golf is ready to assert its dominance amongst its competitors in 2021.
Brown will be looking to defend her 2020 City-County, Regional & State Championships, while sophomore Marry Ann Lyons will look to return to the state tournament once again.
Eighth grader Alissa Perkins also is a key player returning, as she’ll play a second year with the varsity squad.
A newcomer that Head Coach Jarrod Carter thinks will impress is Claire Reynolds, an eighth grade transfer from Lexington, Kentucky.
“She has already been successful in the junior golf tours and has played in several tournaments across this side of the country,” Carter said. “She has a lot of talent & has already shown she can break 80. She is going to make a big impact in the region this year.”
As far as how the team will fare, Carter expects the upcoming season to be year of growth backed by individual success.
“We have three individuals who have lots of experience and a second year player still learning the game,” Carter said. “You have to have four solid players to compete in our region this year and we are not there yet.”
Despite this needing more experience in some areas, Carter believes that this season they have the potential for three players to reach state alongside Brown and Lyons.
“We had two players make it to the state tournament last year,” Carter said. “I think we can send three this year. It’s going to be hard for Macey to top last year but we are going to try. She really wants to shoot under par in several tournaments & win.”
In order to ensure that growth steadily skyrockets as the season progresses, Carter said they will focus on individual games and constant practice to prepare them.
“We will be focusing on individual success this year,” Carter said. “Macey is looking to shoot some subpar rounds this year. She has already been -3 during the round at the Greenwood tournament, but finished even (72) on the day. We practice on our weaknesses every day and put in a lot of repetition in the short game. I’m always pushing the girls to improve their short game. It’s where every golfer loses strokes most of the time.”
