Coaches Jim Hoffman of Seymour and Brandon Allman of Brownstown Central were pleased with their girls golf teams’ performances Wednesday in the Seymour Invitational at Shadowood Golf Course.
Westfield, ranked No. 3 in the state, easily won the tournament with a score of 305, Bedford North Lawrence was second at 344 and was followed by Columbus East at 348, Madison at 408 and Brownstown Central at 417. Seymour shot 431, and Scottsburg rounded out the field at 441.
Both local schools had two girls score in the 90s. Phoebe Skidmore led the Owls at 50-46-96, and Lainey Jackson scored 46-51-97.
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Ashlyn Fox shot 50-49-99 and Payton Ault shot 45-54-99 to pace the Braves.
Hoffman said he was encouraged the Owls lowered their score by 13 strokes from a Monday tournament in Bloomington.
Rounding out Seymour’s results were Liza Stuckwisch at 49-63-112 and Rylee Ebler with 62-64-126.
Hoffman said he was especially glad to see Stuckwisch shoot well on the front nine.
“Liza shot 49 on the front and got a little tired on the back,” he said. “That’s a career (low) nine holes for her. A lot of improvement there. She was the bright spot for us.
“We saw Phoebe and Lainey both shoot in the 90s and knock some strokes off their scores. Overall, they played better, hit the ball better. We had great conditions today, which was perfect. We’ve just got to get a couple more scores (under 100).”
Hoffman said his team is pointed in the right direction. All four Owls players are sophomores.
“I like our progress. The girls are young and they’re coming along,” he said. “We hit really well off the tee. Putting has been kind of been our downfall. We’ve given up way too many strokes on the green. If we eliminate our putts, we’re going to be in the 300s, and that’s what we want to get.”
This was Brownstown’s opening match of the season.
“I’m not disappointed at all today,” Allman said. “We had three career bests. This is the first time Ashlyn and Payton had broken a 100, and Lexie (Satterthwaite) shot her best score in a varsity 18-hole tournament.”
Satterthwaite shot 52-55-107 and Hannah Hackman scored 54-58-112 for the Braves.
Allman said Hackman shot a 111 in the sectional last year, but equivalent over par, she was exactly the same Wednesday.
Brownstown was originally scheduled to play in the Bedford North Lawrence Invitational on Friday but had to drop out because of school starting.
Both teams will be back in action Monday with the Braves host Mitchell and the Owls play at New Albany.
“It’s a good, strong start for us,” Allman said. “Now, we’ve got a lot of work to do. With just our short game, chipping and putting, we should be able to shave five to seven strokes off per girl.”
He said the team needs to be more consistent off the tee.
“I know Ashlyn and Payton both struggled a little bit early, and we had a couple out of bounds late on 11, 12, 13. Chipping was definitely our weakest area,” he said. “It’s different going from Hickory Hills to (Shadowood). Shadowood’s greens are all faster than Hickory’s, and the rough around the green is a lot different. I thought we made adjustments and the girls were more comfortable as the day went on.”
Allman said he will let the girls decide on what they need to work on today.
“I’ll go around and help, and Friday will be all short game day,” he said.
Hoffman said his team is focused on short-term goals, including getting to certain points and stretching for those.
“I think the goals are continuing to improve,” he said. “We’re not necessarily looking at what they do today but a year or two down the road, so we’re focusing on the future right now.
“They’re a great bunch of girls, and they’re working hard. They’ve got great attitudes, and that’s all we can ask for. They’re getting better every day, and I’m really happy with them, and I think coach (Brian) Tidd is also. They’re working together and becoming a team. We just need to keep doing the same thing we’re doing. We’ve got to keep working around the greens and get our swings fine-tuned and hitting to the right spots. They’ll get there. It’s just going to be a process of figuring it all out.”
Westfield finished third in Bloomington on Monday and shot in the low 300s Tuesday in a tournament at Hamilton Southeastern.
The Shamrocks were led by the 1-2 punch of Sam Brown and Sophie McGinnis with a one-under-par 71 and 72, respectively. Seven Westfield girls played Wednesday, and all shot 82 or lower.
Seymour Invitational
Teams: Westfield 305, Bedford North Lawrence 344, Columbus East 368, Madison 408, Brownstown Central 417, Seymour 431, Scottsburg 441
Seymour: Phoebe Skidmore 50-46-96, Lainey Jackson 46-51-97, Liza Stuckwisch 49-63-112, Rylee Ebler 62-64-126
Brownstown Central: Ashlyn Fox 50-49-99, Payton Ault 45-54-99, Lexie Satterthwaite 52-55-107, Hannah Hackman 54-58-112