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Scots golfers have steady plan Release Date:
August 25, 2009
MONMOUTH, Ill. — The
Monmouth College women’s golf team is taking a cue from the story of
the tortoise and the hare.
“We’re not going
to be too concerned with where we finish in the early season
tournaments,” said head coach Molly McNamara. “Our goal isn’t
to necessarily win every weekend, but to use those meets as stepping
stones to the end of the year. We want to focus on what we need to
do to get better. By doing that, we hope to improve our scores
throughout the season and hopefully be at the point come conference
tournament time where we’re in position to compete for the Midwest
Conference title.”
Senior Lynsey
Barnard (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) – who captured all-conference honors
two years ago – is the Fighting Scots’ top returner and has been the
picture of consistency. She tied the school 18-hole scoring record
twice last season and is looked to for leadership.
“Lynsey joined us
just before the conference tournament during her sophomore year,”
explained McNamara. “She’s really focused on goals for this season,
both the team’s and her own. She understands this is her last
opportunity to do well. She’d like to lower her career average and
do well at the conference meet.”
Senior Kendra
Catterton (Moline, Ill./Moline) has been the picture of
McNamara’s slow-but-steady plan. Catterton has steadily improved
during her collegiate career and is expected to provide leadership
with Barnard and junior Kristin Humphrey (Polo, Ill./Polo).
The three are the only letterwinners on the Scots’ 10-woman roster.
Freshman Nicole
Hurst (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) is being touted as a legitimate scorer
with a solid swing who gives the Scots four solid scorers. The final
playing position is a different story, and any number of
understudies could crack the lineup.
“The fifth spot is
up for grabs right now,” reported McNamara. “Once we get into the
season a bit, we’ll sort it out and have a definitive No. 5 golfer.
We’ll hit the range and play some practice rounds to see how it
shakes out. We have an advantage that our three returning scorers
know what needs to be done in practice and in competition. They’ll
help nurture the less experienced golfers.”
The squad’s only
other freshman, Claire Johnston (Victoria, Ill./ROWVA),
sophomore Lanae Hoffman (Kinderhook, Ill./Western) and junior
Kayla Winbigler (Roseville, Ill./Monmouth-Roseville) have
practiced well and are the top choices in the early season to make
the scoring squad.
“Claire has a lot
of potential,” said McNamara. “I’m looking forward to have the
chance to coach her. She has a lot of potential to help us out this
year and well into the future.”
The immediate
future looks bright for the Scots once the league tournament rolls
around.
“The conference
may be wide open this year,” claimed McNamara. “Eight of the top 10
golfers last year were seniors, so that really opens up the field.
We have a lot of raw, coachable talent that could peak at just the
right time.”
For the first time
this fall, the Midwest Conference women’s tournament will be played
at Aldeen Golf Course in Rockford, Ill., the same course the men
play in the spring. In prior years, the tournament was held on a
rotating basis at a league school’s home course. A neutral course
and the possibility of a solid fall season has McNamara believing
the Scots could have a shot at the MWC crown.
“We need to beat
the people we’re supposed to beat,” said McNamara of the fall
season’s preparation. “We want to continue to improve throughout the
year, so in October it culminates at the conference tournament. It
all boils down to getting our four or five women playing well on the
same day.”
In the conference
tournament setting, it actually comes down to all four or five
scorers playing well on the same THREE consecutive days. McNamara
believes it could happen -- after all, the tortoise DID beat the
hare.
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