LANGLEY — The South Whidbey girls golf team is still in the running for a berth at state, situated in the middle of the pack in the Cascade Conference.
Thursday at Useless Bay Golf Club, dodging rain drops again, they lost 76-44 to a powerful Cedarcrest team.
Although the Falcons are 3-3 behind Archbishop Murphy and Cedarcrest, Falcon coach Tom Sage expects to see a big improvement.
Just as soon as the weather changes for the good.
“We’ve struggled with cancellations due to snow, hail and rain,” he said. “When we do play in the rain, it’s like playing ping pong in a survival suit.”
Overall, Sage is pleased with the team’s progress.
“On any given day, any one of these girls has been at the top,” he said.
“Their driving skills are absolutely better but the short game remains elusive. Putting and chipping are critical because that’s where the points are found and we’re focusing on that.”
Morgan Thompson, Danyelle Leggett, Emily Lindus, Olivia Hamilton and Brandi Winn are poised to break out and surpass their teammates.
Thursday was Lindus’ turn.
Lindus led with 16 points, Thomson had 12 points, Hamilton and Winn tied at 10 points each, Miller had eight, Leggett four and Brianna Cheever, three.
The match was played using the Stableford scoring system, meaning a stroke-play format in which the high total wins, not the low. In Stableford, the final score is not the stroke total, but rather the total points players have earned for their scores on each individual hole.
Winn said the team is doing much better than even a month ago.
“We all get to play in the top spots,” she said. “But, let’s face it, we’re here for the socializing. It’s a great bunch of teammates.”
This is Cheever’s first year on the team.
“I played a bit before but nothing organized,” she said. “I’m glad I joined, the girls are great and, well, it’s the highlight of my day.”
Lindus described her game as “dandy,” a seldom-used golf term.
“I’ve improved a lot since last season; it’s fun to be feeling good about playing well,” she said.
On April 21, the girls travel to Lakewood, then host King’s at
3 p.m. Thursday, April 24 at
Useless Bay.
