My team and I played very well at our regionals and won by 30 strokes so we were optimistic going into our team states competition. We didn’t expect to win but we had to have that mindset to shoot the low rounds that we knew we were capable of shooting. Our coach told us that we could place 2nd if the top 3 played in the 70s and 80s.
Since I already played in the individual regionals (Monday & Tuesday) and shot 76-78 I felt like I was extremely prepared to play the course Wednesday. My teammates played rounds after the individuals were done each day and we all chipped and putted together to get a better feel for the greens. I noted some areas to avoid, pins that you wanted to stay below, etc and shared the information with the rest of my team to minimize our shots on each hole. We were all happy to make it to states, but we wanted to prove to ourselves that we deserved to be there and that we could put up a great total.
I wasn’t very nervous before my round, I knew that I was well prepared and I knew the course well. I was paired with a girl that played in the individual competition, too, and 2 other #1 players. I was determined to play my hardest and I wanted to battle to win my group.
I started off my round with 2 pars and was ready for the rest of the day! I unfortunately hit some bad shots on the next holes and made mental mistakes that led to bogeys. I was +4 through 6 and I knew I was better than how I was playing. I told myself that mistakes happen and I could recover. I had a few bogeys, lots of pars and a couple birdies for my remaining holes. One of my birdies was on a par 4 from 60 yards away in tall grass- I stuck a partial wedge shot to about 7 feet and made the putt! I had finished my round at +5. I achieved my goals of playing a good round and winning my group.
Anxious to see how my team placed, I waited in the scoring area with the other players. The teammate that I saw first shot a 75! I figured we were in great position because she won her group as well. We found out that our 3, 4, and 5 players didn’t play their best round so we placed 4th at states, however, our team had the 2 low rounds of the day which is very impressive.
Although we didn’t end our season the way that we wanted to, I was proud of everyone on my team for the work that they put in this year, including myself. We bettered ourselves everyday up to the day of states and played hard to medal. I see our result in a very positive way because it can show the other girls that next year we have a legitimate chance at winning states if we can shave a few strokes off of all of our scores, especially if we prepare the same way that we did this year.
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