AHS Girls Golf Off to Strong Start

Defeat PRHS Monday to move to 3-1

The Atascadero girls golf team is off to one of their hottest starts in recent memory, currently holding a record of 3-1 after defeating the Paso Robles Bearcats 240-259 on Monday afternoon at Chalk Mountain Golf Course.

For the past three years, the Greyhound girls golf team has been led by senior Katie Burson, who has started on varsity since her freshman year. In her junior season, Burson advanced to the state qualifying tournament and shot an 83 while finishing as the low scorer (medalist) in 11 of her 18 matches. This season, Burson is once again leading the Hounds, but it’s the support of the girls behind that turned the team into a serious contender in the Mountain League.

Burson continues to hold the no. 1 position for AHS. Still, the four juniors behind her, Alli Hesch, Haylee Ferrell, Mckenna Smith, and Selina Garcia, have thrust the Hounds to the top of the league due to their hard work and dedication to improving their game, not just this offseason but every year since they joined the team as a freshman.

“Those juniors have been with us since they were freshmen, and each year they have got better and better, and now we have a very strong team.” AHS head golf coach Kara Ferrell told the Atascadero News. “The core of those juniors have worked really hard. I have to give them credit, they worked really hard in the offseason and it has made a big difference this year for us.”

Atascadero’s no. 6 spot belongs to sophomore Brooke Halsey who, like her teammates, has been playing lights out this season and has improved in each of the three events she has played in this year.

It’s not just that they are winning; it also about who the Greyhounds are beating. Two of their wins in the early part of the season have come against Arroyo Grande and Righetti, who the Hounds have been unable to beat for the past few years while the two schools traded the league title back and forth.

“We beat Arroyo Grande in the very first match of the season,” Ferrell said. “In all my years of doing this, we have never beaten Arroyo Grande because they are a very phenomenal program. Then we beat Righetti last week, who has the MVP [Claire Alford].”

Atascadero’s lone loss came at the hands of the Righetti Warriors on March 15 when Atascadero made the trip to Rancho Santa Maria. The Warriors posted a score of 266, just two strokes lower than the Hounds, who posted a 268. Three days later, the Atascadero girls hosted Righetti on their home course (Chalk Mountain) and beat the Warriors by ten strokes, posting a 243 overall score.

It appears as if the Mountain League is up for grabs this season, and the Hounds have as good a shot at the title as anyone. Currently, their biggest competition seems to be the San Luis Obispo Tigers, who are 4-1 so far this year.

The Greyhounds will make a trip to Cypress Ridge Golf Course this Thursday to make up a game against Arroyo Grande that was canceled earlier this season due to rain.