MADISON
Hitting shots where they wanted them to go got a little bit harder as the day wore on at the Hoosier Hills Conference meet.
The heat and the ever-present and packed together trees made life difficult for golfers at Sunrise Golf Course.
However, that wasn’t the case for the Owls, who got stronger on the back nine, carding a 377 to finish third behind Bedford North Lawrence (330) and Floyd Central (355), respectively.
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Four out of five Owls all dropped strokes on the back nine with Bridget Marshall and Phoebe Skidmore each dropping three.
Finishing behind Seymour were Madison (384), Columbus East (385), New Albany (406), Jeffersonville (407) and Jennings County (461).
Heading into the meet, Seymour coach Jim Hoffman was hopeful his girls would be able to inch a little bit closer to Floyd Central and BNL but was happy with the result on what became a very hot day of golf.
"We started off kind of rough today but, at the turn, we’re right there with [Floyd Central]," Hoffman said. "When we had our first few scores come in, we were just one stroke behind Floyd, who has been ranked all year. I’m pretty happy about that."
Marshall shot an 81 to pace the Owls and made the all-conference team as a result of her effort. After having a few bogeys on the front nine, Marshall birdied the ninth hole and parred the short No. 10 to vault herself into a strong finish for the day.
It was her good end to her round, as well as fine finishes from Laken Waskom, Lainey Jackson and Peyton Levine, that really showed some promise to Hoffman.
Rounding out the Owls scoring, Waskom shot a 90 and was two strokes better on the back nine. Jackson and Levine carded a 101 and 105, respectively, and Skidmore handed in a 115.
Waskom’s score earned her all-conference honorable mention.
Levine’s addition to the conference roster was a bit of a change from how the team has been constructed this year. Rylee Knutson usually played the No. 5 spot for the Owls but after a great day at Shadowood Golf Course last Friday against Jennings County, Hoffman decided Levine had earned the right to play at conference.
"She just started playing last year and hit a 105, a career best, and we get to count her score," Hoffman said. "That’s a great thing."
Moving forward, the Owls will have the rest of the week to prepare for the sectional meet at Otis Park Golf Course in Bedford.
Hoffman said they’ll schedule a time to head out to the course and get a practice round in before they tee off at 8 a.m. on Saturday. While Hoffman said he was pleased with the performance, and believes his girls should advance out of the sectional, he wants to see them raise a sectional trophy.
"If we can clean up some putting woes, I really think we’ll be good for next week," Hoffman said. "Of course, the top three get out and move onto regional, but I’d really like for them to get that sectional trophy."