On Oct.1-2, the girls varsity golf team played “Swing for the Cure” at Brackenridge Park golf course in San Antonio, Texas. 

“Swing for the Cure” is an event to raise donations for individuals who have or had cancer. The girls team was expecting some heavy rain and thunderstorms, causing the tournament to possibly be postponed for a day, or worse, canceled, but the storm passed and didn’t disturb the tournament. The first day, the team had to play 36 holes, or two rounds, of golf. The second day, the team played 18 holes, or one round. The girls varsity golf team came in sixth place overall. 

“Getting ready to play 36 on the first day is always a mental and physical challenge, and adding the fear of the weather not cooperating did not help,” junior Mimi Burton said. “Luckily, the rain stayed away and we got all the holes in.”

Sophomore Eden McSpadden agrees that the mental game is always a challenge, especially when they spend a 10-hour day on the golf course. She said that playing that long made it hard to stay focused when she was running out of energy. McSpadden was pretty nervous before the tournament, because it was the team’s first tournament this school year, but she was excited to see how they would play. 

“To prepare for this tournament, I worked hard all summer long in many tournaments to be prepared and ready for the fall season,” McSpadden said. “Closer to ‘Swing for the Cure’, I spent hours on the driving range working on my swing, did putting drills, and played on my home course to improve my golf game.”

Senior Chaemin Kim was feeling nervous and anxious since she thought her swing wasn’t good, and she wasn’t playing well before the tournament. To prepare, she played nine holes almost every day and prepped herself on the course, not just at the range and during practices.

“Some of the things that motivate me to play golf is probably my family, since we’re a golf family where everyone knows about golf and loves golf,” Kim said. “So, I want to perform well because of them. I realized that I needed moral support when I’m playing badly during the round and Coach Lee helped me a lot with that.”

Burton said she felt good about her final round of a -2, 70, and her final tie for sixth as an individual player, but she said she definitely would have liked to have done better. Last year she placed fourth and said that there’s always the goal of improving a little each time, so to come up just short of her goal was a little disappointing. 

“I struggled to adjust to the speed of the greens as I’m used to practicing on much faster greens,” Burton said. “It was really difficult to get myself to hit putts hard enough and to trust it.” 

Kim was also tied for sixth as an individual and said she also could have performed better and was upset that she didn’t. She said that part of the reason was the club that she used.

“I struggled with my putter very much,” Kim said. “I changed my putter, and I’m still getting used to it.” 

Aside from the issue with her club, Kim’s favorite part of last week’s tournament was scoring well in front of her parents and coaches.

“My favorite memory would have to be when I made my last 30-foot birdie putt on the 12th hole in front of my parents and coaches,” Kim said. 

While Kim is motivated by her adult influences, McSpadden is motivated to play golf by her teammates. She said that being with such a hardworking group motivates her to do her best and desire to do better in golf.  Playing golf is one of McSpadden’s favorite things to do, and being able to share the love of the sport with her friends really motivates her. 

“My favorite memory from this tournament was playing card games in the hotel the first night we arrived,” Burton said. “Last year, we didn’t really get a chance to bond as a team, so to finally have that experience through the simple act of playing Uno with my team was really special.” 

Burton is certain that the girls golf team has the skills to win some tournaments, and she is looking forward to coming back to this tournament next year and showing her opponents. According to her, golf is a tough challenge where a player has to constantly fight no matter who they are or how good they are; Burton thinks that’s the beauty of the game.

“Being on such an amazing golf team, I am able to learn from others on the team,” McSpadden said. “They have taught me that hard work pays off and have encouraged me to do my best.”