Scores keep dropping
Marissa DeCola and Paige Wojdyla walked down the fairway on the first playoff hole at Hiland Golf Course.
The moment was not lost on them.
"We talked about how much fun it was," DeCola said.
This is what high school girls golf has become.
The days of shooting a nine-hole score of 60 are over. The days of teams sporting one good golfer and three others just to fill out a roster are finished.
DeCola, a sophomore at Butler, fired a match-low of 37. Wojdyla, a junior at Seneca Valley who had never played until she reached high school, shot a 43 as both teams battled to a 187-187 tie.
Wojdyla then edged DeCola on the third playoff hole to give the Raiders the victory.
It was a tough loss for DeCola, but she said it was a thrill for her to see her friend and rival rise to the occasion.
"Obviously, I was a little disappointed," DeCola said. "But she won that fair and square. She deserved it for herself and for her team. She played great."
More and more girls are playing great golf this fall.
Scores are way down. Where mid-40s scores used to be the norm for medalists, rounds in the 30s are becoming the standard.
Both Butler and Seneca Valley are more than just their No. 1 golfers, however.
The Raiders had four players card in the 40s at a recent record-setting match. Seneca Valley broke the school record for lowest round with a 182, besting the mark of 183 set in 2001.
Seneca Valley coach Lynn Wagner said that wasn't by accident.
"More girls are playing and more girls are playing better," said Wagner, who is in her 10th season as the Raiders' coach. "When I first started, only a few girls played well. We've seen more girls getting serious about playing."
As Wagner watched DeCola and Wojdyla interact during their three-hole playoff, it struck her that girls golf truly had arrived."Watching them go head-to-head, toe-to-toe was exciting to watch," Wagner said. "I was just thinking, 'This is how college players play.' You didn't see anything like that just a few years ago."DeCola is averaging in the 30s, Wojdyla in the low 40s. DeCola's teammate, Mara Shingleton, consistently has been near 40.At Seneca Valley, Jennifer Suder and Stephanie Bullis are shooting in the mid-40s.The Mars duo of Kayla Finney and Alexa Glew also have flourished.Even at small schools like Union, where Larissa Roberts is excelling, girls are shooting scores lower than ever before."You pick up the paper and look at the scores and you can really tell they are dropping," DeCola said.DeCola, who is no stranger to tournament golf in the summer, is amazed by the progress of the players around her.DeCola, who started golfing when she was 6, said she is noticing scores lower than what she posted as she climbed through the youth ranks.She has a simple reason for that."Publicity," DeCola said. "People are now seeing all the young golfers on TV playing in big tournaments like Alexis Thompson. She's only 14 and playing Tour events. I think everyone is getting inspired."Butler coach Sarah Parker, who was there from the start of the program four years ago, also has seen the dramatic shift."They are working harder, playing longer and playing better," Parker said.And the gap between a school's top female and male golfer is closing fast.At Slippery Rock High last season, senior Jenna Rinker was one of the top golfers on the boys team.DeCola said she is glad Butler has a girls team, but wonders how she would fare on the boys squad."I actually would enjoy the experience," DeCola said. "Playing against guys — they are a little more serious."For now, DeCola will stick with the team. And why not? She gets to enjoy the golden age of girls golf in Butler County."It's great," DeCola said. "I love my teammates. My team all support me and it's nice to play with and against so many good golfers."
