The recent run of bad weather has made things difficult for the golfers of the 4-A Southeastern Conference.
Braving the elements Tuesday afternoon, Scotland and the rest of the conference shot their highest scores of the year on average. With that said, the Fighting Scots still finished in second place overall behind Pinecrest at the National Country Club in Pinehurst, which they have done in every match this season.
“That was probably the hardest course we’ve played all season, and pair that with the weather we’ve been having and things couldn’t get much tougher,” said Scotland coach Gary Barfield. “The ground was soggy and we played in a cold, wet, rainy mist for the entire round. We need outings like this though because it makes us tougher mentally.”
The Fighting Scots shot a combined score of 389 on Tuesday, which is their highest combined tally of the season. Senior Kaylan Ganus led her team with a 91 and was followed by Ashley Barringer, who shot a 96 which is her highest score through the first five regular season matches.
Scotland’s remaining players all shot a 100 or higher, including Caitlin McCormick (100), Allison Critcher and Gabby Gualtieri (who both shot a 102).
After hitting the ground running this season with scores in the lower 300’s, Pinecrest has failed to shoot under 335 in three consecutive matches. The top player in the conference, Gabby Weiss, nonetheless led the entire field again by shooting a 76 at the National CC while teammate Hailey Robinson finished with an 83.
Other notables included Purnell Swett, who was led by Jade Hunt’s team-leading 89 en route to the team compiling a score of 412, good for third place on the day. Hoke would finish in fourth place with a 423.
With just one match left on the schedule, Barfield’s pre-season goal of qualifying four to five of his players for regionals appears to be within reach.
“We’re about where we thought we’d be at this stage of the game,” Barfield said. “Scores are a bit higher than I’d like, but we’ve been pretty consistent throughout the entire season.”
Scotland’s final match will take place Monday October 15th at Pinehurst No.1, with a tee time set for 2:00 p.m.
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