The start of the 2019 golf season is only a day away, and each of the local teams are at various stages of experience and depth as they prepare to get started. Daviess County will likely again be a region title contender with Catholic not far behind, while Apollo and Owensboro will look to progress throughout the season.
As defending region champions, the Lady Panthers bring back nearly the entire roster under a new head coach, and they’ve also got plenty of depth with eight girls on the squad.
The Lady Aces return five seasoned players with a strong core that can compete, but they don’t have depth beyond that.
Similarly, the E-Gals bring back nearly the entire team from the 2018 campaign but only has four players with only a handful of overall experience.
For the Lady Devils, it’s a fresh start this season. In addition to a new coach, everyone on the roster is in their first year with the program, and some are fairly new to the sport itself.
See below for bios on each team. Keep up with our coverage throughout the year by following us on Twitter @OwensboroSports, liking us on Facebook and checking online for daily results.
DAVIESS COUNTY
First-year head coach Logan Clark is already setting his sights high for the Lady Panthers. He was an assistant last season when Daviess County had one of the most successful runs in several years.
“Winning city-county and then winning region to make it state was a huge accomplishment for this program,” Clark said. “We’re looking to repeat that for this season. We have a great group of girls that are ready to put in the hard work and make this season a success as well.”
Though they lost their top golfer from last season, Daviess County’s next top four — Holly Holton, Addison Heady, Kirsten Henderson and Emilee Clark — all got significant playing time in 2018.
“These four got a lot of great experience last season and I think that will transition well to this season, and it will set a good example for our younger girls,” Clark said. “They’ve been putting in the work this summer preparing for the season ahead. They want to exceed the high expectations that are in place for them, and they know what they have to do to make that happen.”
Four more members of the team are joining after playing junior varsity last year — Hadleigh Hunter, Annalee Yager, Anna Lane and Megan Haynes.
“The key to this team’s success is going to be perfecting the little things,” Clark said. “Putting in the practice time, working on course management, building our composure on the course during stressful moments and working on the fundamentals. If we can become strong in these areas, that will turn into lower scores as a team, winning tournaments and having a successful season.”
Owensboro Catholic
Emma Payne returns to the Lady Aces after spending 2018 as one of the top golfers in the 2nd Region, advancing to state with her performance in the region tournament. Head coach Stacey Johnson expects 2019 to be a strong end to Payne’s varsity career.
“She has accomplished so many things in her high school career so I look for her to go out swinging this year as a senior,” Johnson said.
Other top returners are junior Abby Bahnick and senior Maddi Roberts, rounding out the small core of seasoned players for Catholic.
“Abby has made incredible gains over the summer,” Johnson said. “She is a consistent scorer for us and I look for big things out of her this year. Maddi has also always been consistent and I look for her to remain a solid rock for our team again this year.”
Conleigh Osborne and RC Porter both return after playing for the first time with the Lady Aces last season. Johnson expects them to be an asset after getting a year under their belts.
“The key for us will be to stay calm and keep our emotions in check,” she said. “I have five very talented golfers that love the game of golf and each other. If they can remember that on the tough holes and the tough days, they can accomplish anything.”
APOLLO
The top golfer for the E-Gals will be sophomore Macey Brown, who advanced to the second round of the state tournament in 2018.
“Macey went through a swing change in the offseason but she put in a lot of practice time to feel comfortable with the changes,” said head coach Jarrod Carter. “I’m looking for more consistency from her. Macey’s success will come when she is fully confident with her new swing and she sees good results. She has learned a lot of new skills in her game but she will have to put them to the test in tournaments and matches to see what she needs to work on.”
Brooke Brown returns as the lone senior and could put together some strong rounds with a big swing.
“Brooke has been around since middle school,” Carter said. “Even though her first love is softball, she can hit a long way. If she focuses on her short game around the green, she will surprise a lot of people.”
Other team members are Mary Ann Lyons and Addison Carter. Lyons will split time with the soccer team, and Addison Carter is mostly a seasonal golfer but has the ability to make a contribution with her athleticism.
“Improving in a short time will be key to our success as a team,” Carter said. “We are inexperienced and it will show, but I hope to see a good, quick progression during our season.”
Owensboro
First-year head coach Kip Walters is working with a roster full of new faces, as Owensboro doesn’t return a single player from 2018. Several girls on this year’s team are still new to golf, but Walters has been pleased with their commitment so far.
“I have been very proud of this group with their work ethic and their intent to learn the game,” he said. “They have worked very hard over the first few weeks to get better each and every day.”
Walters said he’ll rely on a pair of seniors — Ann Lawton and Olivia Miller — to be leaders for the team. He said they’ve already been setting an example to the younger players with how they approach practices.
“For us to be successful, I need this group to continue to work as hard as they have up to this point,” Walters said. “I am very proud of the way they have approached things and feel strongly that they will continue to get better as the season goes on.”
Other members of the Lady Devils’ are junior Addison Callis, freshman Jasmine Tong, 8th-grader Ellie Watson and 7th-graders Kaylei Moore and Phoenix Barnett.
“Our goal for the season is more of a long-term goal,” Walters said. “Many of the members of the team are just learning to play, so our expectations are that hopefully by the end of the season we are competing with other schools. Short-term goals are more of working on ways in which we can lower our scores.”
