'Just a phenomenal day': Wachusett's top four average 81 en route to Central Mass. girls' golf championship
WORCESTER — Entering with a 16-0 record in match play competition, the Wachusett Regional girls' golf team showed it also has what it takes to dominate in stroke play, winning the Central Mass. Championship Wednesday by a huge margin at Green Hill Municipal.
In summer-like weather, with a four-player low total of 324, the Mountaineers were led by co-medalist Lily Staiti’s 6-over 78, Emma Quinn’s 79, Lilly Sprister’s 81 and Somer Staiti’s 86.
“Just a phenomenal day. My jaw is on the floor from watching how they rose to the occasion in this tournament,” Wachusett coach Nick Guerin said. “We had our top four golfers averaging an amazing 81, and the whole team played as a cohesive unit as they have all season. I’m just so happy for all of them.”
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Wachusett repeated as CMass champions. Westborough, led by junior Ashley Huang’s 89 and senior Shelby Drayer’s 92, was runner-up at 393, followed by Hopkinton at 435.
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Wachusett freshman Elise Andreoli, with a 93, joined her low-scoring teammates in the top 10 among a field in which only four golfers broke 80.
Up next for unbeaten Wachusett, without a senior in the lineup, is the North/Central/West Golf Championship on Tuesday at East Mountain Country Club in Westfield.
“If our girls show up next week as they did here at Green Hill, they’ll do something special,” Guerin said.
Tying Nashoba’s Kylie Heffernan for the low score, Lily Staiti posted nines of 38-40 in only her second full 18 holes played at Green Hill with a refreshing light breeze, helping make the high temperatures more comfortable throughout the shotgun round.
“Winning this feels awesome. I’m just very proud of our team,” said Staiti, a junior who rolled in birdie putts on holes 1, 9 and 12. On the par-5 ninth, she reached the green in two shots and missed her putt for eagle by only 5 inches before tapping in for the birdie 4.
“My mindset was good today. I was putting pretty well,” she said. “Our goal now as a team is to keep moving on and eventually win the states.”
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If the Mountaineers advance to the state championship, they will tee it up on June 3 at Ledges Golf Club in South Hadley.
Wachusett’s Quinn, a junior, tied for third individual with Notre Dame Academy’s Georgia Beland. Quinn’s 79 included a birdie on the par-5 third hole.
“My chipping and overall short game was really good today,” said Quinn, who carded 10 pars. “No double-bogeys, and anytime I can do that, it’s a good day. I’m just happy for all my teammates.”
Helping Wachusett post such a low total, Sprister, a junior en route to her 81, carded birdies on the par-5 third and the par-4, 15th. Lily Staiti’s sister, Somer, a sophomore, also in only her second round at Green Hill, rounded out the top scores with her 86.
Heffernan, a talented sophomore who played on Nashoba’s boys team last fall, carded a couple of birdies on her way to co-medalist honors.
Beland, also a sophomore, would have joined Staiti and Heffernan at the top of the scoreboard if not for a missed putt on her last hole of the day, the par-5 16th.
“I missed a 1-foot putt on that hole,” Beland said while shaking her head. “It just happens.”
But good things also happened for Beland, who boomed her drive 278 yards down the fairway on the third hole. Then, on the par-3, 165-yard sixth hole, she pulled her tee shot into the left bunker adjacent to the green. From 50 yards, though, she blasted her sand shot smoothly, onto the green and right into the cup for a birdie, one of her three in the championship.
—Contact Jay Gearan at sports@telegram.com.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Impressive rounds lift Wachusett girls' golf to Central Mass. Championship
