Lady Panthers look to carry success to regionals

September 13, 2018 | 3:48 am

Updated September 13, 2018 | 11:15 am

Illustration by The Owensboro Times

The win Tuesday was a long time coming for the Daviess County girls golf team.

Head coach Rachel Lindow said the journey began long before the season started in mid-July, and it goes back further even than her 5-year tenure at the helm of the Lady Panthers. It marked the first time the team has captured the city-county title in more than a decade, and they blew away the competition for a 28-stroke win.

“This was very special to the girls,” Lindow said. “The team knew that we were the favorite to win, but we didn’t want to focus on that. We wanted to focus on our goals — go out there and shoot what you’re capable of and control your mentality over bad shots and holes. The girls held it together both days and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Leading the way was senior Grace Heady, who put together one of her best rounds of the year to finish with a 79. Heady had to outlast last year’s medalist Briley Carter of Apollo in a playoff. The two were tied heading into the day, and Heady said she had to stay focused on the green.

“The mindset for me was focusing on my putting, because that’s where the most strokes are gained or lost,” she said. “I was mainly focusing on 15 putts or less.”

Heady said she’s been patient and worked all year toward winning city-county, but it was just as important to help the team get the win.

“This is the first big win we’ve had in about 10 years or so,” she said. “It’s a very big deal, not only for us but our school as well.”

Lindow agreed, saying they aren’t done yet. Daviess County has been largely successful this season, consistently placing at or near the top of the leaderboards, but now the focus shifts to regionals.

“They know it’s their time to shine,” Lindow said. “They know they have the ability to be the top team in the region, and I think winning city-county will push them a little bit more.”

Lindow said any golfer on her team has the ability to put up a low round, though the last few performances from Heady have been extra impressive.

“Grace has started to come alive the last couple of weeks and can be dangerous at regionals,” she said. “All my girls are very hard workers and are determined when they have goals set. They’re a fun group of girls to coach and we’ve celebrated winning city county, but our next focus is now on to regionals.”

Lindow has plenty of talent on the team, and most of them are underclassmen. She has three freshmen in Holly Holton, Addison Heady and Kirsten Henderson that provide a dynamic threat for the Lady Panthers.

“Holly has been consistently shooting in the mid- to lower-40s, and that has helped the team tremendously,” Lindow said. “Addison has a natural ability with golf. You can tell her something and she can master it within one try. When she’s on fire, watch out.”

Henderson has been with the team since 7th grade, and has improved each year.

“Kirsten has a smooth swing and has the best mentality when she’s on the golf course,” Lindow said. “She doesn’t let a bad shot or hole affect her.”

Sophomore Emilee Clark has also gotten better this season to give DCHS another boost.

“Emilee has put in some work this season to revamp her grip and swing,” Lindow said. “She has a beautiful swing and has gotten her scores down from last year.”

The Lady Panthers will continue to practice and play a couple more matches before the regional tournament is held Sept. 24 at Ben Hawes.

September 13, 2018 | 3:48 am

Share this Article

Other articles you may like