For the first time in more than a decade, the Daviess County girls’ golf team advanced to the state tournament by winning the region. Now that they’ve made it, the girls are hoping to make some quick adjustments and improve their scores.
“We are very excited to be at state after winning regionals,” said Lady Panthers head coach Rachel Lindow. “Our goal for state is to beat our team score at regionals. Our regional score was a little high for us, and we’re hoping to bring that down and advance to the next day.”
The Daviess County team will be joined by three local individuals who advanced out of the Region 2 tournament, which was held Friday at Ben Hawes. Owensboro Catholic’s Emma Payne was the medalist with a 75, while teammate Maddi Roberts shot an 82 for fourth place. Apollo’s Macey Brown shot an 83 to finish seventh overall.
All players got in a practice round Monday at the Bowling Green Country Club, and the first round of the tournament begins today.
“We had our practice round today, and we had some really good shots,” Lindow said. “After the practice round was over, we went over to the putting green. The greens here are super fast and the girls are trying to get adjusted.”
Lady Aces head coach Stacey Schepers said she’s excited a pair of her players were able to advance. She said after setting multiple personal records and constantly improving, it’s a great reward for the girls.
“Emma and Maddi have both had an amazing year,” Schepers said. No one deserves this more than Emma. She has truly earned the regional champion title. She practically lives on the golf course.”
The two spent the practice round trying to familiarize themselves with the course layout. With rain in the forecast, Schepers said they are hoping the conditions are favorable.
“Today we really just worked on getting reacquainted with the course,” she said. “They are both ready to go tomorrow. We are just hoping the weather cooperates.”
Brown played all year as the No. 2 golfer for the E-Gals, but she’s consistently improved. Head coach Jarrod Carter said Brown’s goal to start the year was to break 90, but that number was quickly lowered early in the season. She placed fourth in the Barren County Invitational with a 75 and changed her mindset.
“I think she surprised herself on how well she was playing,” Carter said. “However, it took about a month to mentally deal with her ability to break 80 consistently. The 75 was always on her mind, and she measured every shot and hole she played based on shooting 75 again.”
Carter said it’s been fun coaching Brown, and she’s been a quick learner. They are excited for her to experience playing at the state level.
“She has done a fantastic job listening to her swing coach and she’s worked hard on her ball striking,” Carter said. “Macey and I have worked on her weaknesses such as bunkers, different chip shots and putting. When she puts it all together she’s going to be a phenomenal player.”
The tournament starts today with all golfers playing 18 holes. The top 11 teams, along with the top 20 players not on those teams, advance to play the final 18 holes Wednesday.
