Tyler Morren
Sugar Beet staff reporter
The girls golf team has had a strong first couple tournaments to kick off their season. Garden City High School recently hired new coach, Trent Specht, from Holcomb to replace Jacob Waller as the boys and girls golf coach. Carlos Prieto joins Specht as an assistant coach for the girls’ team. To start off the fall 2018 season, the girls opened their tournament play in Hays on Aug. 27 at Smokey Hill Country Club. Conditions for the day were dry and hot with some slight wind at the shotgun. The tournament was a 9-hole format and combined for a score of 205 strokes.
“Smokey Hill Country Club was a tough course to start on for these girls and I think they prevailed and played well,” Specht said. The team placed first and finished 12 strokes over the Hays Indians and Thomas More Prep-Marian Monarchs. Alyssa McMillen sat on top of the leader board after tournament number one. Elena Lemke finished third at the Hays High Invitational.
The girls traveled to Hugoton, Kansas for their second tournament of the year playing at Forewinds Municipal Golf Course on Aug. 30. The Buffaloes placed third as a team due to an apple watch technicality disqualification. The team sat at second place after the 9-hole completion, but after scoring was finalized, an opposing golfer from Colby singled out Buff senior golfer, Elena Lemke, penalizing her for wearing an Apple Watch. Kansas State High School Activities Association, KSHSAA, recently established a rule in place to only allow watches that function to measure yardages only. If the watch does any other functions than measure yardages, they are prohibited from play and will result in a disqualification. The absence of Lemke’s score dropped the Buffaloes from second to third place.
Specht said the weather was pleasant and was pleased with the golfers scores. McMillen placed third and Grace Yi placed ninth. “I need to improve mainly on my chipping, but I played my best at Forewinds,” McMillen said. “I played bad my first tournament. In my second one, I was playing like Michele Wie,” Yi said.
The girls followed their play in Hugoton with an 18 hole tournament on Thursday, Sept. 6, in Dodge City at Mariah Hills Golf Course. The Buffs combined for a team score of 399; junior, McMillen, took home first place firing an 81 in the rain and cold. Senior golfer, Elena Lemke, fired a 92, the second low round for Garden City.
The Lady Buffs will host the upcoming tournament on Monday, Sept. 10 at Buffalo Dunes with a tee time set for 1 p.m.
Tyler Morren is a public service senior. Contact him at morrent@student.gckschools.com.
Garden City High School 