Girls golf will compete in the regional tournament April 19-20 at Tangle Ridge golf course after placing first in the district tournament March 22-23.

The golfers compete in a five-person team. Everyone plays and gets a score and the four lowest scores are added. The team with the lowest score wins. 

“The first day at district was difficult because it was raining so we got drenched,” sophomore Morgan Horrell said. “We were more pleased with our scores [after the second day,] but I think we all could have squeezed a little bit more out of all of our rounds. It was a good learning opportunity for all of us; now we know what we need to work on going into regionals.”

Golf plays in the fall and spring, with spring being the more competitive. The team competes in four tournaments per semester, and in addition to those in the second semester, the district, regionals and state tournaments take place. The top three teams and individuals at regionals will qualify for state.

“We’re not really thinking about being in the top three, we’re thinking about winning,” head coach Mercedes Trent said. “If we can shoot for winning then we know we can qualify for state, so that’s our main goal right now: playing our best ball.”

Trent said the team has an advantage because they have played at the Tangle Ridge golf course before, both as individuals and as a team. To prepare for regionals they are working on course management and short game, like putting and chipping.

“We know the course and the setup pretty well,” Trent said. “Now it’s basically just working on shots that we know we’re going to have at that course.”

The team consists of Horrell, senior Gracie Tribolet, sophomores Symran Shah, Estelle Seon and Samantha Straight. Horrell, Seon and Trent agree that the team’s competitiveness with each other helps their success.

“We all play individual tournaments such as American Junior Golf Association and North Texas PGA,” Seon said. “That really helps our game grow. That’s a really big factor in how we play.”

Horrell said their bond as a team assists in their achievements. She said the team is strong, internally motivated and ambitious, and Trent assists in motivating them to improve.

“Coach Trent is not just a coach, she’s our friend and our mentor,” Horrell said. “We all just want to do our best for her. We all love and respect each other and are definitely rooting for one another. When we’re playing, we’re not just playing as individuals we are playing for each other.”