Chris Broch, the boys and girls golf coach for the Greenview-Athens co-op program, said it will be tougher for the Bulldogs to advance from today?s Class 1A Greenview Boys Regional without one of their top players.
They?ll just have to pick up the slack in the absence of Athens junior Caitlin Sims.
?Not having her will hurt the boys team a little,? Broch said. ?The way she?s played this year, they could use her score.
?But with her going to the ladies? tees now, with the way she?s done, I?m excited to see what she can do.?
Sims isn?t the first girl who?s played for a boys golf team. But she?s been one of the top performers for a team that went 34-4 in dual competition this season.
The Bulldogs hope to keep rolling today, when a top-three team finish at their own Country Hills Golf Course would earn them a spot in Saturday?s Havana Sectional at Wee-Ma-Tuk Hills near Cuba.
But Sims will be there today in spirit only. After playing with the boys all season, she?s entered in Wednesday?s Class 1A Auburn Girls Regional at Edgewood Golf Course. Sims, Sarah Kline and Madi Epperson, will compete individually because a school needs at least four players to qualify as a team.
?I?m kind of upset because (the boys team) have had such a good year,? Sims said of switching to girls competition this week.
?But they still have a good chance of making it out. I wish I could at least be there (at Country Hills today), but I can?t miss school two days in a row.??
No. 1 in class
Sims? classroom performance parallels her golf talent. She?s junior class president at Athens, where she?s tied for No. 1 in her class academically. She wants to major in pre-medicine in college.
She also plays for the girls basketball team, but golf is No. 1.
?I want to play in college,? Sims said. ?Golf is something I?m always excited about. It?s never hard to wake up and go play golf. I want to be out there, even if it?s just practice.?
Practice has paid off for Sims, whose coach said she?s improved significantly. Broch said Sims shot a 108 as a freshman in the PORTA Invitational at Shambolee Golf Course two years ago. She posted a 101 last year.
This year, despite playing from the back tees in windy conditions, Sims shot an 84 to share team honors with fellow junior Collin Roemer. She?s averaging 39 for nine holes, and she?s been medalist in four boys dual meets.
?She?s taken it to the next level this year,? Broch said. ?She got a new driver over the summer, so she?s added length off the tee. And she got a new putter a few weeks ago.
?She knows she can?t keep up with the boys off the tee, but she makes them pay around the greens.??
Family affair
On Wednesday in Auburn, Sims will try to advance to next Monday?s Monmouth Sectional. A successful sectional would earn her a third straight state appearance. After tying for 25th at state a year ago, she?s aiming for the top 10.
Even though Caitlin won?t be with the boys team today, the Sims family will be well represented in the regional. Her brothers, freshman twins Corey Sims and Chad Sims, will be in the Bulldogs? lineup.
?We?re very competitive,? Caitlin said of playing against her brothers. ?The other night, we played a match at Edgewood. Corey shot a 38 and beat me by four. But I couldn?t be mad at him.?
Dave Kane can be reached at 788-1544. Follow him at twitter.com/DaveKaneSJR.
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