The women’s golf team opened up the spring season at the Amelia Island Collegiate Tournament with a round it would probably like to forget. The Braves shot an opening round 314, placing them near the back of the pack early on, which forced them to play from behind.
Bradley was ultimately able to rebound, finishing 15th out of 18 teams. Head coach Mary Swanson was pleased with the way her team battled.
“We started out a little slow, but I was pleased to see them gain confidence and momentum after each round,” Swanson said. “Overall, it was a good start and keeps us working.”
Freshman Taylor Ledwein led the team all tournament long, shooting a 76 or better in each round to finish with a score of 224, which was good enough for 21st overall.
“[Ledwein] is great about recovering from every shot,” Swanson said. “She is able to restart each pre-shot routine in the present and not dwell on what just happened or what is ahead.”
Sophomore Frankie Saban had the next best score for the Braves with 227, followed by sophomore Chloe Horton at 235, junior Ally Scaccia at 236 and sophomore Brooke Thompson at 251.
Despite the less than ideal result, Swanson said she saw a lot of encouraging things on the course. The most important takeaway that Swanson said she will stress remaining positive in each round.
“We are really focused on celebrating every personal best, and I think that will be the key to us seeing improvement over the course of the season,” Swanson said.
While the women kicked off their season this past week, the men still have to wait until Monday to begin their 2017 campaign. Head coach Jeff Roche said he is looking forward to the opportunity to see his team finally get out and compete.
“We’re going down [to Houston] to see where we are right now but to also put ourselves in position to contend for a title,” Roche said.
Roche said there will be some challenges in the Colin Montgomerie Houston Baptist Invitational as it is the first time in months the team will play together as a unit.
“We need to minimize our mistakes,” Roche said. “[We need to] manage the things we can control and not get too far ahead of ourselves … and understanding where our games are right now and playing to those strengths.”
