Despite the whistling wind and first-match jitters, Westfield surged ahead of New Providence and set the standard high for the upcoming season. The Blue Devils beat the Pioneers in a stunning 207-249 beatdown, with junior Lily Patel, senior Claire Gallagher and sophomore Sadie Pitigala taking a Blue Devil sweep in the top 3.
During the offseason, Westfield welcomed a new head coach to the team, health teacher Kevin Everly. “I want the girls to improve and learn the game, and have some fun on the way,” said Everly. “I’m anticipating some of the girls dropping into the 40s, and hopefully we’ll have some good team bonding exercises too.”
Patel led the team, shooting a 41 with a birdie on hole 4. “I definitely could’ve played better to begin the season, my short game let me down a little,” said Patel. “But as a team, to start off the season with a win is great.”
Patel is one of two captains this year and hopes to increase the team mentality among the girls. “Golf is tough because not everyone plays, but we’re working on doing a lot more team bonding and psychwear, and getting the new members into it.”
Junior Peyton Harrington came in fourth overall, despite a rocky performance. “I was happy with my driver, but everything else was a little iffy,” said Harrington. “But I just love playing the sport, when the bad days are bad it’s okay because I just love playing.”
The weather gave the girls no help, paired with the difficult greens of Echo Lake Country Club. “There were definitely tough weather conditions, we had about 20-mile-per-hour wind gusts,” said Patel. “So that always makes it difficult.” Nevertheless, Westfield pushed through the harsh conditions and utilized their knowledge of the course to secure their first win.
Looking forward to a new season with many new faces, the Blue Devils are hoping to show an improvement from their 8-5 season last year. “We have a lot of new members, and it will be interesting to see some changes in the lineups,” said Harrington. The team has its biggest numbers yet, with 21 girls trying out and 14 making the team, 4 of which are new members.
Westfield will face off against Mount Saint Dominic on March 31, at Galloping Hill Golf Course, and are hoping to continue their momentum going into the heart of the season.
