Scott Swanson
Sweet Home’s boys already had one round of golf under their belts as they headed into the second week of their 2023 season.
The Huskies played Monday, March 13, the first day it was legal under OSAA rules to compete, at the Marshfield Invitational, where they played Glencoe, Junction City, Newport/Toledo and host Marshfield at Bandon Trails Golf Course.
Junior Evan Ashcraft led Sweet Home with a 105, followed by junior Chet Garrett (112) and senior Riley Korn, who is new to the game, who scored 155.
“Riley was very disappointed with his round, but that was his first-ever round, really, and the conditions were not good,” Head Coach Ron Moore said. “He spent al day yesterday, working on his driver. He has a lot of room to drop real fast and he will.”
Garrett is the returnee with the most experience for the Huskies, returning for his third year on the varsity.
Also back is sophomore Easten Perry, who along with Garrett helped last year’s boys to a fifth-place finish at districts.
Korn, he said, is a “good athlete” who shows “a lot of promise” as a golfer.
Ashcraft is also a relative newcomer to the game, but is also showing promise. Rounding out the boys team is the junior Vegas Mauer.
Moore, who is assisted by Mike Wilkerson and Hailey May, both former golf stars for the Huskies, has three girls on the roster as well: juniors Abby Hogan and Hannah James, and freshman Quinn Hart.
They’re all newcomers to golf, but May, who played college golf at Corban and Wilkerson, a retired golf pro, are there to help.
“The girls are all learning the game,” Moore said. “They’re picking it up, learning to hit the ball well.”
The girls will open their season April 3 at Langdon Farms in Aurora, where the boys will also play a match that day.
Moore said the Huskies were “competitive” at Bandon with the teams that were there.
“Bandon was a tough day. It was raining, though there wasn’t much wind, but it was wet. There was a lot of standing water on the greens.”
He said he expects the toughest competition in the league to come from Marist, a perennial favorite, and Cascade, but “I think we’ve got a shot at districts. Marshfield is not as strong as they’ve been in the past.”
The girls will play at least four matches before districts May 8-9 at McNary Golf Club.
The boys will have six or seven before their district tournament. May 5-6 at Tokatee.
“I thnk we’ve got a team that can compete for districts at Tokatee,” Moore said.
Both the boys and girls will host their lone home match at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 12, at Mallard Creek.
Meanwhile, the team is splitting practice time between its home course, Mallard Creek, and Radiator Supply House, which is owned by Garrett’s family, and where the Huskies have, essentially, their own driving range, Moore said, noting that the Sweet Home Booster Club has provided tee-off mats for the players to practice on at RSH.
“The kids are having fun and they’re focused, they’re learning,” he said.