With the wind blowing strong at Echo Lake Country Club this past Thursday, the Blue Devils had trouble keeping up with the Millburn Millers, ultimately losing a tight match 187-182, despite strong performances from many individuals.
Head coach Kevin Everly said, “The conditions were tough here, as the wind is probably blowing around 15 to 20 miles per hour, which plays havoc in golf on that little white ball.”
Even with the undesirable weather conditions, two of the Westfield players, seniors Chloe Martin and Peyton Harrington both had personal bests, shooting a 48. Martin said, “I started off really well today. I was only four over through five, which was really good for me.”
Coming into the match, the Blue Devils were prepared, yet cautious due to Millburn’s Princeton commit, senior Ysabel Liu. Despite this, the team kept focus on the game and left it all on the course.
With this being the first loss of the season, the Blue Devils look to improve specific components of their game to come out on top in the upcoming season. In these types of matches, with the differences being only five strokes, the team has to focus on their own weaknesses in order to improve for the next match.
Senior co-captain Lily Patel said, “I think one of my biggest weaknesses this week has been my putting. My stroke hasn’t been where I wanted it to be, and I had quite a few three putts out there that cost me a few strokes.” Despite the changes that the girls individually look to work on, the team effort put out on the course led them near to success.
Westfield will continue to work on adapting to different weather conditions and the course. “I think short game is always the biggest factor, especially with these greens that are really fast and they’re a little slopey; the ball is gonna be turning a lot.” Everly said.
Being able to understand the course mechanics will positively affect the Blue Devils while they continue the season. With spring break coming up, Everly is encouraging the team to get outside and practice to start strong when they return. “Many of the girls are getting some confidence in themselves, seeing improvement and I think that gets contagious within them, getting a little competitive with each other,” Everly said.
The Blue Devils will look to come back with a win at their first away match on April 6 at Morris Knolls.
