The Mingus Union High School girls golf team had its first match close to home when it took on Prescott High School, along with three players from Page High School and one from Coconino High School.
The all-freshmen team of Marauders beat the Badgers at Oakcreek Country Club on Monday, Sept. 25, with Kaila Bowers finishing in the top spot individually. It was a rematch from Sept. 20 at Antelope Hills.
“There were some really good approach shots, some chips, which gave them opportunities to make one or two putts,” Marauders head coach Dennis Kitchen said.
Mingus plays in the Arizona Interscholastic Association Development League, which uses the Stableford scale for scoring. They won with 77 points against 44 from the Badgers and Sand Devils.
The scoring system awards a certain amount of points for a birdie, par, bogey, double bogey, triple bogey and quadruple bogey.
Bowers was the No. 1 finisher with 32 points while Anna Schreiber was third with 20. Bowers’ regular golf score would have been an 11-over 47, including a birdie, and Schreiber shot a 53. Kaylee Watson, Suzie Tanner and Fusion Lavender-Geddes also finished in the top 10.
Kitchen said that the greens at Oakcreek were difficult, but the Marauders were considerably better than Prescott.
At the start of the season he also mentioned that the girls would be nervous to play in front of others. Their confidence has improved since then.
“They’ve definitely gotten more comfortable, in fact they’re swinging with a lot more confidence,” Kitchen said. “Some of their shots, the girls are hitting it further and further and I think that that’s just because they’re feeling confident with their swings.”
There is no formal champion or playoff of the Development League, but the top three finishers got medals from the event.
