St. Cloud will be favored to win a fifth consecutive Orange Belt Conference tournament when the high school girls’ golf season gets underway this week.
“We have a lot of talent returning,” Head Coach Jim Endicott says of his team that won its fourth straight conference crown last year with a 10-shot win over rival Harmony. “We bring back our best player, as well as the rest of our other starters so we do feel good about where we stand but we also know there are some other talented players in our county.”
The Lady Bulldogs roster starts with two-time state qualifier Morgan Beaulieu, who will attempt to become the first golfer in county history to win four consecutive Girls’ OBC Individual crowns. Beaulieu, a Division-I college prospect, enters the season ranked in the top 500 among high school senior players nationally.
Her of three-under par 69 at last year’s OBC event was seven strokes better than her winning total of 76 as a sophomore. It was the lowest round ever shot in the OBC girls event and is believed to be an 18-hole county record for girls tournament play. Competing as an individual at the state championship, she shot 76-71-155, good enough for 19th place at the Class 3A state tournament.
“Although she had a great season last year, Morgan spent the off-season working hard on getting better,” Endicott said. “She really spent a lot of time learning how to flight the ball and putting it in a better position on the green to increase her birdie opportunities.”
The Lady Bulldogs also return all-OBC players Jenna Barnett, Tess Shieve and Cayden Challacombe. Freshman Nadia Burda could also be a factor.
A look at other teams:
Harmony: The Longhorns hope to challenge their rival Bulldogs for the crown. The Lady Longhorns return All-OBC performer Jordan Pigeon and returning letter-winner Stephanie Gabel.
Now in his 15th season with Harmony, Coach Rob Hainlen said he is extremely excited about the potential he sees in incoming freshman Aryana Persaud and the entire Longhorns team.
“I believe we are setting up for a very solid season,” Hainlen said. “We have put together a schedule that features some tough competition on some very challenging courses. We have some experienced players and we will be ready to compete.”
Celebration: The Storm returns experienced senior Clara Lee and returning junior All-OBC performer Erin Ozyurek who finished fourth at last year’s OBC tournament.
“We return two solid players but have a young team this year,” Storm Head Coach Rokaia Collison said. “I’m looking forward to seeing them compete and grow together as a team.”
Poinciana: The Eagles return a solid player in Loa Johannson, a home-schooler who finished second to Beaulieu last year at the OBC championship.
