East High Golf - Thursday, September 7/Monday, September 11, 2023

The East High girls golf team recently competed in two tournaments, the first of which took place on Thursday, September 7.  For the first time ever, East High hosted the MacDonald Cup Scramble.  This tournament was unique because the two-person scramble format is something we have never done in a high school tournament.  There were a handful of girls that really enjoyed the different format, but for many girls, both literally and figuratively, it was a long (and hot) day.

I won't beat around the bush...for most of our girls, this tournament was a struggle.  The heat and wind played a factor, as did the fact that a couple of our East High teams didn't really enjoy their playing partners from other schools.  There was also probably some confusion about the format of the tournament, since normally the girls play as individuals.  Whatever the reason, the tournament just wasn't quite as successful as I had imagined while organizing it.

The top pairing for East High was senior Jillian Hutchinson and freshman Olivia Sanchez, who shot a 51, and placed 5th overall.  The pairing of junior Mackenzie Wright and sophomore Faith Mantzke shot 58 to finish 8th.  A pair of freshman, Allison Flinn and Francesca Tartler, shot a 70 to finish in 12th place (for Francesca, it was her first round of golf ever).  For each of these pairs, the tournament was a struggle, and each group felt they could've performed better.

But there was one pairing who had a great time, and that was the grouping of juniors Haylie Bustos and Brooklyn Brandon.  Each of them are new to the game, and it was only their second ever tournament.  They seemed to enjoy their experience because they got to play together, and because they enjoyed the company of their playing partners from South.  They ended up shooting a 67 to finish tied for 10th.  Ironically, it was their friends from South that they tied with.

The inaugural MacDonald Cup Scramble was won by the pairing of Alina Lam and Hailey Moore of Southeast.  They shot a tidy one-over par 37.

On Monday, September 11, the girls arrived at Tex Consolver Golf Course for the second GWAL match of the season.  And they were not excited.  I wouldn't consider the much-needed rain to be a downpour, but it was steady, and it never stopped.  Before I sent the girls out onto the course, we talked about how, when competing in athletics, there are always distractions, and whomever can block them out the best, is usually the one who will succeed.  Sufficiently inspired, the girls moped out to begin their round.

Despite what I had said, I was worried about this round.  We have some girls on our team that are new to golf, and for a couple of them, the season hadn't been much fun yet.  For some of them, the heat had been too much.  Some hadn't enjoyed their playing partners at the tournaments.  And some were just frustrated by how difficult golf is.  And now, a tournament in the rain?  I was worried.  But I shouldn't have been.

When the girls teed off to start their round, they were still feeling skeptical about playing golf in the rain.  But when I caught back up with them in the middle of the round?  A good time was being had by all (or most, anyway)!  One of our golfers even uttered these words: "I'm having a blast!".  And without even a hint of sarcasm!  I was so proud of the girls for numerous reasons, but mainly because they made the choice to do their best and to enjoy themselves.  It truly warmed my heart.

And not only were their attitudes great, but we experienced a bit of success as well.  On the varsity side, Jillian Hutchinson tied for 5th with a score of 55.  Faith Mantzke tied for 9th with a score of 62.  Olivia Sanchez shot a 73 to finish tied for 16th.  And Mackenzie Wright, who was fighting her swing all day, tied for 21st with a score of 79.  As a team, East finished in third place with a team total of 269.  Alina Lam of Southeast took home individual honors with a three-over par 39.  For complete varsity results, click here.

On the JV side, Allison Flinn finished 2nd(!) with a score of 62.  Haylie Bustos shot a 64 to finish T4th.  Francesca Tartler shot a 79 to finish T7th, and Brooklyn Brandon finished 11th with a score of 84.  Backed by these individual performances, the East JV took home first place as a team, with a total score of 289.  For complete JV results, click here.

The girls will return to the course on Tuesday, September 19, as we host a GWAL match at MacDonald GC. Let's keep the good vibes going!