Female golfers starting to shine
Kelsey Soom was scanning the big board after she completed her round of the season-opening Fayette County Scholastic Open hosted by Duck Hollow Golf Club, and was pleased with what she saw.
Although the Laurel Highlands golfer just missed playing her way onto the All-County team, she was happy to see other girls participating in the county championship.
Fast forward one month and Soom and her fellow female golfers, as members of their school’s boys teams, ready for their time on the podium with the individual golf sectionals held at five different venues. The top five finishers automatically qualify for the finals, along with any finisher within 20 strokes of the USGA course rating.
The most notable of those young ladies is Gillian Alexander. The Jefferson-Morgan junior enters the section qualifier at Latrobe Elks as the defending Class AA champion, although she said her approach would be the same.
“I want to stay relaxed and play my game,” Alexander said of her mindset after a practice round. “It’s important to play a good round of golf (in the sectional) and get my confidence up to defend my championship.”
Jefferson-Morgan coach John Curtis said he didn’t see any appreciable difference in the defending WPIAL champion.
“She seems like the same person each day. She works on her game every day,” complemented Curtis.
Alexander is the next in a long line of local female golfers who have had success in the district championship.
Frazier’s Andrea Lash had a top-10 finish in the Class AA finals last year.
Waynesburg Central grad Emily Rohanna, now at Youngstown State, successfully defended her Class AA crown in 2011 and Alexander was eighth. Laurel Highlands’ Kelsey Soom finished 14th in the Class AAA finals that same year.
Rachel Rohanna, who played collegiately at Ohio State before turning pro in 2012, had quite a four-year run with two firsts (2005, ’07) and two second-place finishes (2006,’08). The Mustangs’ Maria Battaglia, a Marshall University golfer, finished third in 2005 with two other top-10 finishes.
The standard bearer for today’s female golfers, however, was Uniontown’s Lauren George. George won district titles in 1998-99, was fifth in 1997 and third in 2000.
Jordan Craig (Geibel Catholic/Connellsville), Aimee Fronczak (Geibel Catholic), Wendy Gasher (Beth-Center), Leah Yuhouse (Southmoreland), Sara Bonchosky (Laurel Highlands), Emily Morrison (Southmoreland), and Courtney Detrick (Beth-Center) also had successful or medal-winning performances in the WPIAL championship since 1997.
While Southmoreland and Mount Pleasant have girls golf teams, Alexander, Soom and the handful of other girls must get their rounds in as members of their school’s boys team,
“Playing on the boys team is an avenue to play,” said Curtis. “I don’t know if playing with all girls is a difference.”
Alexander had a much simpler approach, saying, “It’s fun playing golf with the boys. They just play their game and I play my game.”
Soom had a different take on playing golf on a boys team.
“It’s more of a disadvantage because you don’t know how to golf with girls,” explained the senior. “I think the competitiveness and pace of play is different with boys.
“I feel more relaxed and don’t put the pressure that I do (with girls). I’ve played golf with girls and it’s a completely different mindset.”
Soom is one of two girls who start for the Mustangs. Laurel Highlands coach Mike Smith generally pairs Soom and Natalie Kunkel together, even though Soom’s average supports playing in a higher slot.
“This is the first time I’ve had to start two girls,” said Smith. “I go by straight average, and Julie Cehula is a close seventh. I play the six best golfers with the six best averages.
“Kelsey’s average is No. 3, but I play them together so Natalie doesn’t have to walk up to the red tees by herself. It’s good chemistry.”
Uniontown’s Callahan Abel and her coach Aaron Scott will be able to share a ride with Soom and Smith with both golfers traveling to the Section 2-AAA sectional at Rolling Hills Golf Club.
Abel believes she gets a bit of a competitive advantage as a member of the boys team.
“I think it’s more of a challenge just because they’re guys,” said Abel. “I enjoy playing on the guy’s team. I enjoy golf so much more playing along with the guys. I feel like I’m one of the guys. I try to stay focused and keep to myself.”
Abel is seeking her first trip to the finals.
“My first qualifier was tough because it was right after Zach Nelson passed away. The second, I just didn’t have the experience. This one is different. I need to eat a lot (which brought an approving nod from Scott) and stay focused,” said Abel.
Scott was the coach for part of George’s WPIAL run.
“I was blessed to have Lauren,” said the veteran Uniontown coach. “I really like girls playing on the guys team. I think it makes them better. It’s refreshing to have a little more finesse.
“I think it helps the girls a little bit, and the guys. I know from other teams, I see ‘I’m not going to let the girl beat me.'”
Frazier’s Annika Erdely has been a solid No. 2 for Larry Mikesell since the early part of the season and is expected to contend for a berth into the Class AA finals, and Waynesburg Central has three girls on the Raiders’ 9-person roster.
Although she doesn’t start, Belle Vernon’s Thais Bagiatis will participate in the sectional at Vandergrift Golf Course on Wednesday.
“Shes’ going to be really close to qualifying. I think the target score is 89 and it’s a short course. It will come into play and help her,” said Belle Vernon coach Melvin Gouker.
While the girls’ sectionals are over three days, Tuesday through Thursday, their male teammates seek one of the five certain berths out of the sectionals today and Tuesday.