Spartan golf focuses on provincial berths

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

The Strathmore High School saw many eager golfers come to a practice round last week and will have enough players to field a girls team, which the school has not seen in a while.
The solo returning female golfer, Alicia Kennedy, is ecstatic to have a girls team this season as she said it would be easier to be play with them and ease up the competition on the course.
“We gained a couple of girls,” said Kennedy. “We actually have a girls team now, that’ll be fun. It was definitely weird going for the first time because I didn’t have any girls with me. I was put with the actual provincial champions … but it was fun and I’m excited to go back. I think we should do decent overall.”
With only one player going to provincials last year, the Grade 12 student feels that there is optimism at sending more this time around.
“I think we have a chance at a couple of people going to provincials,” she said.
A hopeful on the team, Connor McKinnon, who is a regular at Speargrass, would like to take the strong play in his game and transfer it to the team in tournament play.
“I like to kind of keep it calm,” said McKinnon. “My putting is struggling but hopefully I can get my short game up, my long game is good. It’s different, I’ve never really golfed with people from school, it’s just been me and a couple of guys that I’ve worked with.”
Co-coach Jennifer Meyers is excited about the crop of Grade 10’s coming out who are mixing in with a couple of returning players and forming a competitive team.
“It’s nice to see some younger players out like some Grade 10s,” said Meyers.
“It’s always hard when we have full teams of Grade 12s because it means the next year we have to reload a full team. It’s nice to have Korbin (Allan) back in Grade 11 and a few Grade 10s that look really nice. There are definitely a lot of people that are eager which is good to see.”
She said that the boys might have to cut it down at divisional to decide the fifth spot on the team, but with a lot of them having played all summer that will make the decision difficult.
“They have been playing all summer and this is what they love to do,” she said. “There’s some that are playing other sports right now and not quite as dedicated but there is a couple guys who this is their passion and this what they want to continue on doing.”
Regionals and provincials will be held later this month in Cochrane again.