Brownstown golf enters season with high expectations

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Expectations are running high on the Brownstown Central girls golf team this season.

The reason the Braves are expecting a highly successful season is because of the five returning letter winners.

Coach Brandon Allman will be working with four senior letter winners in cousins Kelsey Ault and Payton Ault plus Hannah Hackman and Lexie Satterthwaite. Also back for another season is junior Emma Hughbanks.

Allman likes the depth of this team.

“I think for sure having five girls who have played for me will help,” he said.

He said sophomore Megan VonDielingen is in her first year on the team.

“She seemed to hit the ball pretty well (Friday) for the most part,” he said.

“Ideally, with having several varsity players returning, I want to get below the 400 marks, especially at Shadowood,” Allman said.

The Braves shot 417 in the season-opening tournament at Shadowood Golf Course last season, and they begin their season there today in the Seymour Invitational.

“It should be familiar to most of the girls,” he said.

Payton Ault played the No. 2 position for the Braves last fall and along with Satterthwaite earned all-Mid-Southern Conference honors in helping the team win the tournament played at Shadowood.

Ault said she played in 12 Indiana Junior PGA tour events this summer.

“I started out the season kind of struggling. Then I was getting better, but then I started struggling again,” she said. “But in the last tournament (at Madison), I shot my best, an 86.”

She said that is a career low for her.

“The strongest part of my game is my driving. I play my best with my irons. My putting is definitely where I struggle the most,” she said. “I want to keep it in the 80s at Seymour. Hopefully by the end of the season, I’ll be in the 70s.”

Ault and Satterthwaite were named to The Tribune’s all-county team last fall. Kelsey Ault and Hackman were named honorable mention.

Kelsey Ault was named the Braves’ most improved player last year, and Hackman was the mental attitude award winner.

Satterthwaite said she hopes to play the No. 2 position. She said she didn’t get to play in any tournaments this summer, but she played some rounds at Hickory Hills.

“I think my irons and my putting are my strong suits,” Satterthwaite said. “My drives keep going right, so I’m going to work on those. They’re going far, but they’re not going straight.”

She said she wants to play her best today.

“I’m not really setting the bar high, just set a starting point,” she said. “Hopefully by conference and sectional, my score will be a lot lower.”

She said her low score at Hickory Hills has been 47.

“We just need to get everybody to work hard,” she said.

Allman said as the season progresses, he wants to see more consistency and improvement from the girls in all aspects of the game: Driving, iron play, chipping, putting and the mental aspect.

“I have a really fun group of girls returning, so it should be very enjoyable for our team,” he said.

There are 10 girls on the team, and Allman said he is hoping the new girls will push the returning veterans for spots.

“Hopefully, the new girls breed some competition and make the other girls have to work for it,” he said.

The Braves placed second in the sectional last year with a score of 425 but did not advance out of the regional.

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