Oct. 17—Stringing together a run of multiple championships is quite a lofty feat, but that’s just what Tuscola’s girls golf team has done — earning its fourth-straight Mountain 7 conference championship this week.
“It’s exciting from a coaching standpoint. It’s all about the girls. They faced adversity and won it out. You just have to keep them in a good frame of mind,” Tuscola coach Sean Williams said. “It was a great job they did. When you’re that age and facing that sort of pressure, they did a fantastic job. I couldn’t have done any better when I was in high school.”
After coming into the season with three straight titles, the Mounties were feeling the pressure mounting from their Mountain 7 rivals.
“You could tell every year, especially this year, that they wanted us,” Williams said. “This year, it was the hardest. When you win and win, you feel the pressure more. You basically feel them breathing down your neck. When the girls won, it was a great relief.”
Flood interruptions
The conference tournament, like everything else, was impacted by Helene’s devastation. The first round was held on Sept. 23 at Laurel Ridge Country Club — just days before the storm hit.
Haywood County’s golf courses took a lick in the storm, but they moved swiftly to reopen — and the girls soon got back into the swing of things, even though make-up dates for round II and III of conference matches were still up in the air.
“They’re an amazing group of girls. I’ve seen it every year. They all know every year what to do and what it takes. It’s that same focus. They all get locked in,” Williams said. “It’s a matter of how you approach it. You have to cope with it and move on. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”
The Mounties weren’t alone. The storm affected the entire region and the majority of the schools in the Mountain 7.
“It was different, but still we worked on our game,” Williams said. “We found ways to keep the game sharp. Snow storms have never stopped us. Floods have never stopped us. Cold weather has never stopped us. You’ve gotta be creative and work it. You have to keep it going. Everyone is in a challenging situation during the process.”
The conference tournament resumed on Oct. 11 with another round at Laurel Ridge, which hosted again due to the course at Cummings Cove Country Club in Henderson County not yet repaired.
The Mounties went into the second round with a six stroke lead — and came out of it with a 22-stroke lead, making it nearly impossible for anyone to catch them in round III.
“After the second round, it was a good feeling to see the 22-stroke lead,” Williams said. “They knew they could do it. And it was our home course. That made them feel better, too.”
Also during that second round, junior Madi Wright hit a hole-in-one.
“All the positive things that happen make the team more confident,” Williams said.
At the third and final round at Maggie Valley Country Club on Oct. 15, the Mounties had extended their lead to 33 strokes — locking up the conference crown once again.
Senior McKenna Williams, the star golfer of the team, shot one-under-par during the third round at Maggie Valley. She earned medalist honors in all three rounds with the lowest score and took home conference Player of the Year honors.
“She went out with a bang. She really stepped up and wanted to win it all,” Williams said.
Joining her on the all-conference team were sophomore Abbey Adams and junior Josie Ostendorff.
“I’m very proud of them for the three of them getting on there,” Williams said.
Heading to regionals
Now, the Mounties turn their attentions towards regionals and, if all goes well, a trip to state.
“They can do it. We’ve been talking about it all season long. They are potentially state champions. They have that sort of talent. We have the setup where we could get to state and perform really well at state,” Williams said. “They have all the potential in the world to win regional and perform really well at state. They have to believe in themselves. It can happen that way.”
On Saturday, the team will head to Cramer Mountain Golf Club in Cramerton for a practice round. On Sunday, they’ll walk the course again and practice putting and driving before Monday’s regional match against roughly 20 teams from the western half of the state.
“We’ll enjoy the time,” Williams said. “Part of the relaxing and fun time for the girls is getting together and going out to eat and just being teenagers and enjoying the great situation that they’re a part of.”
And the Mounties will be on the hunt to bring some more hardware back to Tuscola.
“Individual performance is great, but as a coach, I visualize walking into the gym at Tuscola and seeing the banner with the team championship,” Williams said. “That thing stays permanently. That doesn’t go anywhere. That’s what it’s all about.”
