Hawkins' 96 leads strong showing by Bulldog girls
LEWISTON — Led by junior Caroline Hawkins, who carded a career-low 96, the Bulldog girls golf team shaved more than 100 strokes off their season opening score from last season on Monday at the season opening Lewiston Invite at Bryden Canyon.
Nina McDonnell shot a 102, Hannah Hurst a 111 and Alexis Creighton a 115, as the Bulldogs posted a team score of 424 to open the season.
The girls did extremely well, improved by last year more than 100 strokes from last year,” said head coach Tom Tharp, who was surprised by the play of Hawkins. “It's the first time she's broken 100, her best round ever, and she didn't putt well, and that's encouraging.”
Both the boys and girls teams came down on Sunday and played a round at the Lewiston Country Club, and the extra round to fine tune before the season opener was well used. The greens were far faster than what the teams usually see, which took some getting used to.
“I'm just ecstatic over what we've done,” said Tharp, boasting the strongest boys and girls teams in years. “We have a great shot to go further than we ever have.”
The Bulldog boys played their opener Saturday at Lewiston Country Club, where sophomore Jack Reeves carded an 85 to lead the way. Juniors Nick Crowley (89) and Damien Fitzpatrick (90) had solid rounds, while sophomores Lake Wilks (101) and Jacob Humrich (111) rounded out the boys team score of 365, far better than last year's season opener of just over 400.
You don't play your best golf in March,” Tharp told the team. “You play it later on in the season.”
Reeves, Fitzpatrick and Crowley each had summer jobs at the Idaho Club, and were able to play the course, which should play dividends this season. The boys team wants to return to state, and has the horses to do it, with Caelin Darling also pushing for a varsity spot.
“I see very good things for the boys. Our goal is to get back to state,” said Tharp, lauding the play of Reeves. “Jack is one of the best I've come across in a long time.”
Fitzpatrick plays relaxed and drives the ball well, and when his short game comes around, Tharp feels he'll be going low. Crowley can hit the ball a country mile, but will need to control it as some of the North Idaho courses are famously tight and narrow.
The strong showing by the girls is also a sign that they could compete for the first team district title in a very long time.
The girls have their sights set on being in the hunt to go to state,” said Tharp, who couldn't remember the last time a girls team went to state. “I think we have a decent chance.”
Sandpoint returns to action on Thursday at the Moscow Invite at the University of Idaho Golf Course.