On Wednesday, Oct. 16, varsity girls’ golf continued their run of victories with a narrow 190-212 win over Capuchino High School, improving their record to a 9-1 as of Oct. 21. The match was a neck-and-neck battle throughout and saw some strong performances from both teams.
“It’s always fun when the competition is equal, when one team isn’t a lot better than the other,” senior Ali Moran said. “It’s more fun being able to encourage each other, we all had some good shots and some bad ones, so being closer in score makes it more fun.”
The most dominant performance came from sophomore Sharon Sims, carding an impressive 31. Veteran seniors Ali Moran and Reese Bardsley also contributed to the win with impressive rounds of their own.
“Today, I played one of the best matches I’ve played all season,” Moran said. “It was really fun getting to play with the other girls and good practice because I’d never played this course before.”
For head coach Michelle Riley, the mental support the players provide for each other was the key to the Panthers’ win.
“They went out and supported each other,” Riley said. “Many professional golfers will have a bad stroke or a bad ball, and they cheer each other on and tell each other to shake it off. They were very mentally fit, which is really important.”
Burlingame’s teamwork was most evident in the performances of first-year seniors Gigi Sullivan and Ella Daudel, who encouraged and motivated each other throughout the match.
“I think I definitely could have done better, but for the first time I’m actually proud of myself,” Sullivan said. “I played with [Daudel] the whole season, she’s been my partner and we pushed each other to play better. That definitely carried into today…”
As the season comes to a close, Riley reflected on how her players’ willingness to learn and challenge themselves played a vital role in their successful season.
“Today, it was the first time [Sullivan] used a driver on the course, and she hit it beautifully,” Riley said. “The thing about them is that they’re coachable kids, they listen, they put it into practice and they’ve been consistently good at that.”
With the Peninsula Athletic League Championships looming ahead on Oct. 29, the team grabbed a victory in their last match of the regular season against El Camino High School on Thursday, Oct. 17 to finish the year with a 9-1 record.
