Coming fresh off spring break, the Westfield girls golf team played a familiar course: Echo Lake Country Club. The weather was close to perfect conditions, although the winds were a bit strong. Despite the rough greens, the Blue Devils were able to surpass the Cranford Cougars with a strong 192-207 win.
Having practiced the day before in brutally windy conditions, Westfield found it necessary to allow all the girls on the team to play a “mock” match to prepare them for the responsibility of playing in the match. Senior Chloe Martin said, “Having practice yesterday with the whole team was great because most of the time, we just play back-to-back matches. It was nice to have a practice yesterday to figure things out and come out today.” The Blue Devils did not have their senior co-captains Lily Patel and Peyton Harrington participating in the match, so everyone had to be ready.
One of the biggest stars of the match was freshman Sydney Elmquist, who had the best score of the match with 46. Head coach Kevin Everly said, “Shooting in the 40s is always a goal for us, but we’re starting to do it a lot. We had a bunch of people do it today. [Sydney] ended in the 40s in her first match ever.”
Coming up right behind Elmquist was senior Ella Dolling with a score of 47, a score of 49 from junior Sadie Pitigala, a score of 50 from both Martin and Pfister and a score of 53 from junior Sophia Marquet.
Despite strong performances from the Blue Devils, seniors Hayden Pfister and Martin both remarked on the course itself and the difficulties it brought. Martin explained how the greens of the course were aerated; this is when holes are punched in the turf, however, it temporarily creates sandy, bumpy and slower putting surfaces. “Putting was very rough, and the wind was a little rough today,” Pfister explained. “It was a nice temperature, but it was pretty windy.”
Martin agreed, noting that everyone needs to focus on their short game, which includes putting, chipping and bunker shots. She said, “You can completely butcher your scores in putting, so I think that’s something for all of us to work on and just be more consistent.”
With this win against the Cougars, the Blue Devils’ record improves to 3-2. The girls look to continue their momentum in their match on April 9 at 3:30 p.m. against Mount St. Mary and Somerville, returning to ELCC.
