Thirty-six strokes.
That’s what made the difference, according to Coach Terry Kelley, between the 2-4 league record the girls varsity golf team achieved this season and the 6-0 season they might have had.
‘We lost four matches by a total of 36 strokes,? he said. ‘That’s about 2 1/2 strokes per player per competition.?
‘We were right on the cusp. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get them over the hump,? Kelley explained. Overall, the girls went 5-4 this season, winning three matches outside the league.
The team placed fourth overall in the Flint Metro League, but Kelley noted the girls placed third at both league tournaments.
That’s ‘probably a more accurate reflection of where we ranked within the league,? the coach said. ‘We knew going in it was going to be a well balanced league and we’d have to play our best every time.?
‘Our high points were the three times as a team we were under 200 for nine holes, which is good,? Kelley said. ‘Our low point was the disappointment at the regionals where we knew going in if we could shoot 400 we could qualify.?
As it turned out a score of 414 was needed to qualify, but unfortunately ‘we couldn’t shoot that,? according to Kelley. Oxford shot about 430 at the regionals, resulting in the girls finishing 6th out of 14 teams and ending their season.
‘We really had an excellent chance to qualify but couldn’t quite keep it together for 18 holes,? Kelley said.
The teams top three players were Clare Hubbard who shot about 47, Christi Schiffman shooting about 48 and Karen Offer who averaged about 50. Hubbard was named the team’s Most Valuable Player while Schiffman received the Coach’s Award.
Kelley said the Coach’s Award ‘goes to the kid who seems to want to be there the most.?
‘Christi didn’t miss a practice all season long,? he said. ‘That’s pretty tough to do because we had some pretty rotten weather and spring is a real active time.?
In the final analysis, Kelley said, ‘It was a good season … It was a good bunch of gals. We had a good time.?