FALL PREVIEW: Park Hill Girls Golf

Despite losing their top golfer to graduation, Park Hill girls golf has come into 2012 at a high level in preseason practice. After a summer full of competition, the Trojans’ top three golfers return this fall shooting as if they were in midseason form. State qualifiers senior Bailey Warlen and sophomore Adrianna Elliott, who finished 68th and 33rd respectively at state last year, return along with sophomore letter winner Sydney Paulak. Those three will provide a strong foundation head coach Tari Garner says is pretty impressive.

“Those three are pretty solid at 1, 2, 3,” Garner said. “We’re starting really strong.”

While the Trojans have talent at the top the real story of their team success will be who fills the rest of the varsity spots. The good news for Park Hill is there is plenty of competition with a number of younger players coming into the program with golf experience, something not always a given for incoming freshmen.

“We’re looking for those four and five spots,” Garner said. “I’d really like to have four or five girls shooting for those two spots so they can battle for it. I’d like to be able to rotate kids in so they get that varsity experience.”

With 18 players on the preseason roster, Garner says it’s the first time she’s had a team where everyone is a legitimate contender for either the five spots on varsity or JV. Seniors Rachyl Williams and Darion Peterson all the way down the roster to the team’s only freshmen, Chloe Dailey and Delaney Oehrke, have a chance at competing and will at some point.

Focus on specific pieces of each golfer’s game can range, but after falling short of a conference title last year by just a few strokes, Garner says the entire team will be seeing time on the putting green.

“We’ll work a ton on short game with everyone,” Garner said. “That’s what is going to make a difference with the scores.”

Excelling in putting will not only produce better results, but help them develop as players, which is the area Garner enjoys the most about her job.

“Once they start getting those lower scores, that’s a huge confidence builder,” Garner said. “It’s really fun to watch them grow into themselves.”

Park Hill will host two early matches at their home course, Tiffany Greens, against Winnetonka/Oak Park on August 29th and Kearney on September 4th before traveling to other various courses around the metro for the remainder of the season.