South County prep golfers grow in the life-long game
The Royal golf team included (from left, back row) coach Pete Christensen, Carter Christensen, Matt Dodson, Tyler Dorsing, Austin Walz, Nelson Ramirez, Hugo Mata, Josh Solis and Clifford Lester. Front Row: Uriah Delay, Carley Smith, Lauren Pratt, Allison Joslin, Amanda Conger, Collin Christensen.
The Wahluke golf team concluded the season at districts at beautiful Suncadia golf resort near Cle Elum. From left, it included boys Collin Ahmann, Darian Favela and Juan Lopez, coach Tiffany Hedman and girls Lizbeth Plaza, Audra Coulson and Lizbeth Agapito and Abby Yorgesen.
SOUTH COUNTY - No one from Royal or Wahluke High Schools made it to state in golf this year, but that doesn't mean the season was a bust.
Coach Tiffany Hedman at Wahluke and coach Pete Christensen report that every team member advanced personally in the sport that can be played for a life-time.
The season concluded at the SCAC district tournament at Cle Elum. The top 13 boys and top four girls qualified for state.
The closest South County came was 16th by Royal's Collin Christensen and 17th by Wahluke's Collin Ahmann in boys competition. Royal's Carley Smith finished 13th among the girls.
"For the boys, it was an oh, so close, type of day," coach Christensen said. "We had a few golfers that were set up for making it, but the hole eventually seemed to shrink on them."
Coach said Collin Christensen, Clifford Lester and Josh Solis all had the skills needed to make the cut. But after watching each of them play a few holes, it became apparent they were not ready for the fast greens at Rope Rider, the tricky Suncadia golf resort course.
"Chalk one up for experience for the coach also," coach said. "That will not happen again. Our kids are going to become more accomplished putters for next season."
Royal did end up with one alternate for the state tourney. Collin Christensen had a playoff to secure that spot.
"Over all for the season, it was a step forward over last year, with several kids shooting personal bests throughout the season," coach said. "I look forward to next year and encourage more participation by those who might be interested in the sport. Golf is a fun game that can be enjoyed throughout your life, but you need to study and practice in order to improve."
The girls side of things was encouraging too. Royal finally got four girls to come out and stay out, and they all made improvements throughout the season.
"Carley Smith has had a great year by becoming more consistent in her scoring," coach said. "I look to having her be in contention for a state berth next year."
Compared to Royal, Wahluke had nearly all new golfers. Only Ahmann and Juan Lopez had experience, and Lopez's was scant.
It was a season in which Hedman looked for individual improvement over team accomplishment, and she got a lot of it. The sophomore Ahmann was the leader, and he just missed state.
"Darian Favela (a freshman) joined the season late but didn't waste any time picking it up," Hedman said. "When Darian is on, he is very accurate with his irons. Darian improved from a first round of 77 for nine holes to a best round of 135 for 18 holes."
Lopez developed more distance and accuracy in his game this season. He has a strong build and can power the ball. His season low was 112.
"Juan's been our comic relief on the team, cracking jokes and keeping the team's morale up when the kids get down," Hedman said.
Victoria Lampkemeyer is a foreign exchange student from Germany. Having played golf a little as a child, she joined the team with a little more experience than the other first-year golfers. She shot a season low of 108, an astounding 31 strokes fewer than her season opener at 139.
Abby Yorgesen is a dedicated athlete who quickly became a student to the game, soaking up as much as she could. Yorgesen has developed a fundamentally sound golf swing and finished the season shooting her best round of 123 at districts at Suncadia.
Audra Coulson was a first-year golfer who has great natural tempo. Her season best was a 133.
Lizbeth Plaza is a second-year golfer who gained a lot of distance in her irons and woods over the season. Plaza's best round was a 124, ten strokes better than last year's best.
Lizbeth Agapito was also a returning golfer who really became better at scoring. Her best round was 128, which was 12 strokes better than last season.