REGIONAL CHAMPS

There’s nothing better than the feeling of making history or being the part of something new. The Whitley County girls golf team made school history Monday, becoming the first team to ever win a regional golf title. “This is the first team to ever win a regional in girls golf,” said coach Junior Peace.
In doing so, Whitley County knocked off heavily favored Russell County, who had won the last seven regional championships. Whitley County took a narrow 347-349 score to beat out the defending champions. Lincoln County was third with a 358.
Senior Amanda Allen, who had an 89, said. “This means everything to the girls’ program. This is our first state tournament and we beat seven years running regional champions and two years running state champion, Russell County.”
“I didn’t play the best in the world, but I played pretty good,” said Allen of her 18-hole score at the Dix River Country Club.
Ashley Inman said. “It means a lot of the girls to go to state. If feels great to beat a team like Russell County.”
“We worked really hard in getting ready for the season,” said Inman. “We played in summer tournaments and Saturday tournaments throughout the season. Amy Hart shot the best score of the day for the Lady Colonels with a 82, Kayla Peace added an 85 with Courtney Bishop netting a 91. Inman finished the day with a 94. The four lowest scores are added together to come up with the team total.
“We actually started this season after last year’s regional tournament,” said Peace. “All the kids started working individually on their own throughout the winter by going to lessons. The first time it got warm enough to go play, they started playing.”
“We had several of our kids playing in the Mussellman-Dunn Tournament and the Pepsi Tour, the Southeastern Junior Tour, so these kids have really devoted themselves throughout this whole year to golf,” said Peace. “This is an accomplishment on their behalf.”
As a team Whitley County started practice on July 15 and have been on the course daily. “Most of these kids had played in about 14-15 tournaments,” Peace said. “So, we didn’t get to do to much practicing.”
The Lady Colonels prepared for this week’s regional by playing in several prestigious invitational tournaments. They took third in the Louisville Christian Invitational then tied for second at the Glasgow Invitational. They were fourth in the Russell County Invitational, sixth at Central Hardin and Bowling Green. They took eighth place in the Pulaski County, Henry Clay and Dunbar Invitational. “All of these tournaments had at least 20 teams,” said Peace.
“It’s hard on these kids,” said Peace. “We don’t have a golf course near us. We drive 45 minutes every day to practice. We practice and play at Crooked Creek (London). That’s our home course this year.”
“You take a 45 minute drive back and forth and that’s an hour and a half everyday,” said Peace. “Then they go and play for three and a half hours when we play 18 holes. Sometimes we don’t get home until 9:30 or 10 in the evening then they have to do their homework. I can’t say enough about these kids and their dedication to this game of golf.”
That dedication has paid off with a regional championship and an appearance in the 2005 Leachman Buick Girls State Golf Tournament October 3-5 at the Drake Creek Golf Club in Ledbetter (Livingston County).