Not so green: Young Packer golfers continue to make improvements
Published 9:05 pm Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Austin's Sydney Lewis tees off at Austin Country Club Tuesday. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
Regan Harty putts for the Packers as her teammate Gracie Greenman looks on at Austin Country Club Tuesday. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
Ailani Thiravong tees off for the Packer girls golf team on May 14, 2024. Herald File Photo
Lucy Annis chips a shot for the Packers. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
Izzy Sellers chips a shot for the Packers. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
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The Austin girls golf team has come a long way and the team is still set on growth as their fabulous freshmen continue to gain experience with every meet.
Austin was on the short end of a 362-366 loss to Winona in Austin Country Club Tuesday, but the Packers continue to learn lessons and gain mental toughness.
Freshman Sydney Lewis said the challenges in golf go well beyond simply putting a solid strike on the ball.
“This is my third year golfing and I’ve learned a lot from not even playing 18 holes ever before to playing varsity,” said Lewis, who shot a 93 on Tuesday. “It’s the mindset that matters. It’s really hard and it’s a lot more than just hitting the ball.”
As a junior, Izzy Sellers was the only non-freshman in Austin’s varsity lineup on Tuesday. Sellers, who shot a 97, has seen the program grow by leaps and bounds as just a few years back it was unthinkable for the team to put up a score under 400.
“It’s been interesting. I used to have a lot of my teammates who were my age playing and I’m the last one still playing. I’m the senior citizen on this team,” Sellers joked. “It’s been really cool to see us grow as a team and we’re getting better every year.”
Alaini Thiravong led Austin with an 82 on Tuesday. She said a heavier schedule this season will make the Packers an even better team in the long run.
“We have great team camaraderie, but we also compete against each other,” Thiravong said. “We’ve also played in bigger tournaments against teams from the cities. We’ve also played a lot of different types of courses and that experience is helpful.”
The Packers already made program history earlier this season when they set a new program record with a score of 339 in Austin Country Club on April 30. That’s a mark that the team is chasing to reach again.
“We really want to beat that again,” Lewis said. “That’s a goal for all of us to work on right now.”
Gracie Greenman shot a personal best score of a 94 for the Packers on Tuesday.
Austin scoring: Alaini Thiravong, 82; Sydney Lewis, 93; Gracie Greenman, 94; Izzy Sellers, 97; Reagan Harty, 98; Lucy Annis, 101
