Park Hill South golf team in transition

A 2nd place conference finish led to a district performance that qualified three of Park Hill South’s golfers for the state tournament last fall. Those three senior golfers along with several other key varsity players have since graduated, leaving head coach Larry Torgerson with a whole new group of girls to coach this season.

“This is a transition for us," Torgerson said. "We’ve got a lot of inexperience so we’re looking to reload."

The sole varsity letter winner returning from last season’s group will be senior Sarah Shelton. Joining her will be seniors who mostly played at the junior varsity level last year including Jansten McBride, Kelly Jefferies, and Hillary Schmitz.

Eighteen players came out for the team this season, which Torgerson said was good because sometimes girls will decide to pursue a different sport after being involved in one for a year.

“It’s mostly a cyclical thing when it comes to the number of players who come out for the team,” said Torgerson of the additions and losses of players from season to season.

Even with a new group of varsity golfers, the Panthers are still looking to compete for the conference title.

“St. Joe Central will be strong, but I think we’ll be competing by the end of the year to have a chance to finish close to first or second,” said Torgerson about the Suburban Big-Six Conference outlook.

Possibly the best way to understand Torgerson’s approach to his team is the way he looks at the sport overall.

“Golf’s a lifetime sport and that’s what we’re here to emphasis," he said.