CHARDON—The scorecard at St. Denis Golf Club lists the distance from the red tees to the middle of the green as 5,800 yards. For Monday’s Chagrin Valley Conference tournament, those pins were placed at the back of each green, extending the course another 300 yards.
Most golfers struggled with the additional distance but the Independence Blue Devils thrived.
Independence, the reigning Division II state runner-up, finished the tournament with 344 strokes while Chagrin Falls finished second with 401, Hawken was third with 421 and Perry finished fourth with 431.
“Our four seniors went out and all posted solid scores, which we needed them to do for us to do well,” said Independence coach Karl Schuld. “A 344 is down in the direction we need to go. If we can go below 340, we’re right in it with anybody in the state.”
All six of Independence’s golfers finished among the top 13.
Sophia Trombetta, a Michigan recruit, won the tournament with a 72.
“I was happy with the way I played,” Trombetta said. “My putting cost me several strokes, but I felt like I was striking the ball pretty well. I improved from the last time I played here and that’s really all you can ask for.”
Lyndsay Blum finished second with an 84.
“Personally, with my own round today, I didn’t feel 100-percent on top of my game,” Blum said. “My drives weren’t very consistent and putts weren’t falling, but I managed to save a good score for the team by keeping a level head and not multiplying on my mistakes. One thing Coach Schuld has told us this year that I always keep in the back of my mind was, ‘Play for the team,’ which helps me when I have a bad shot because it reminds me that there’s nothing you can do about the last shot and all you can focus on now is saving the next shot. That is going to matter a lot for all of us coming into more postseason tournaments.”
Maddie Harper finished third with a 92 and Madeline Mindzora also finished in the top 10 with a 96. Emma McGreal finished 12th with a 102 and Morgan Pascarella was 13th with a 103.
“Morgan Pascarella in her first varsity tournament finished 13th and that was with a lost ball,” Schuld said. “That is incredible for her to go 103 in her first varsity tournament. Emma McGreal played really well too. If she improves her putting she’s going to consistently score in the 90s and has the game to shoot in the 80s. She has a really nice swing.”
The Blue Devils close out the regular season on Thursday at Brecksville then turn their attention to the postseason.
Sectional play begins on Tuesday at Punderson Golf Course and the Blue Devils hope to punch their ticket back to the state tournament in October.
“I think we are still a little way from being ready for state,” Trombetta said. “We are still looking for some consistency, but I think we will be there in a couple of weeks. Being so close to winning it all last year was such a bittersweet feeling. I really hope this year we get the outcome we’ve been working towards. It would mean so much to all of us. State champions as seniors, that would be pretty cool.”
Last year’s run to state wasn’t exactly expected.
The Blue Devils knew they had potential and their confidence grew throughout the season. This year, expectations were high and now the squad has had to deal with the added pressure of achieving those lofty goals.
“I think the difference between last year and this year was that last year we had no expectations for ourselves and we just played golf and had fun,” Blum said. “This year, we have been putting a lot of pressure on ourselves to do well and worrying about how other teams are doing. That’s not how we’re used to playing. I think once we get back into the mindset of just worrying about our own team and having fun for a lot of our senior years, we will be solid.”
