Lady Maroons, Howerton win

Thursday, September 25, 2008

The girls golf teams from Hopkins County Central and Madisonville-North Hopkins squared off one last time on Wednesday evening at Madisonville Golf and Country Club before Monday’s regional tournament. Although the Lady Maroons took the team title, Central’s Ashleigh Howerton claimed the medalist honor.

Howerton fended off North’s No. 1 Lauren Mashburn to finish with a score of 40, but as a team Central fell by 13 strokes, 190-203.

After the match Howerton described the friendly competition she has with Mashburn and the Lady Maroons.

“We have our rivalry and now we’ll have to rival it out at regional and see who’s going to win,” Howerton said. “She beat me once and I got her twice, so it kind of boosts my ego a little bit.”

Mashburn finished just one stroke behind Howerton, but Mashburn, a co-captain, admitted she did not have her best stuff and

would have like to have a better ending to her regular season senior campaign.

“It’s the last golf match and I guess I’m kind of disappointed,” she said. “I worked really hard this season to be the best and to prove that I was as good as I could be.”

I have to work on my short game. I’m familiar with the course, so I can’t quite blame it on that, but we all have our bad days and I guess mine was just today.”

North’s Mikayla McKenzie, also a senior co-captain, shot a 55 said she shared similar thoughts after playing stronger early in the year.

After the girls finished up on their final hole, North coach Sam Westfall congratulated them.

“Sam came up on the last hole and had tears in his eyes and was saying he’s really happy that he got to work with me and everything and so that kind of made me want to cry,” McKenzie said.

Westfall admitted he was a bit sentimental having coached Mashburn for six years and McKenzie for four, but said the pair are ready for Monday’s regional, which is at the same course.

“You couldn’t have two better seniors on your team,” he said. “I kind of got choked up when they came off the green because I’ve had them so long, but they’re ready.”

As for the rest of the Lady Maroons, freshman Tori Eddings finished with a 46 to follow Mashburn.

“Tori’s really starting to turn it on,” Westfall said. “She’s really turned it around.”

Rose Rippa (48) also broke 50 and Sydney Frederick and Ashley Mashburn each shot 57 for North.

Although the Lady Maroons came away with the victory, Westfall said he’s more concerned with what his girls can pick up about the course.

“It’s not about scores,” he said. “It’s about learning the course and see how hard the course is going to be and see how hard you have to focus on Monday.”

Westfall jokingly added, “I’ve dragged them all year, hopefully I can drag them one more time.”

For Central, Taylor Howerton finished second-best on the team with a 50 and Lauren Lacy followed with a 53.

“Taylor has been playing phenomenal golf lately,” Central coach Mike Zimmer said. “I think that’s good motivation for Ashleigh and Lauren too.”

Lacy turned in what might have been the shot of the day on her tee shot on the par-three 17th hole.

Instead of her using her typical five-iron, Lacy listened to the advice of her coach and chose the four-iron and stuck her tee shot within 15 feet of the pin.

“I’ve been hitting by clubs hard and they’ve been going every which way because I’m trying to kill it,” Lacy said. “He told me just to take a bigger club and relax and not hit it so hard.”

Others contributing to the Lady Storm’s effort were Kendall Bryant (60), Kaitlin Moore (63) and Hannah Tow (64).

Wednesday marked the third day in row Central had a match at Madisonville in preparation for Monday.

During the past three days Zimmer told his girls one important piece of advice.

“I just told them to keep getting better and to always beat the competition you’re playing with,” he said. “That’s your goal. If you’re playing bad golf, then play better golf than your opponent because you’re guaranteed to beat them.”

North and Central will meet again 8 a.m. Monday when the Lady Storm host regionals at Madisonville.