The Delaware State University women’s golf team won the first tournament in the team’s eight-year history at the 2021 Navy Spring Invitational, held April 2-3 at the Naval Academy Golf Course in Annapolis, Md. The Hornets bested competitive teams from the Academy, Towson University and Bucknell University.
Freshman Amber Pennington (155) finished in second place overall, two strokes behind medalist Julia Calomiris of Towson University. Pennington’s even-par 72 in the second round was the lowest score posted by any player in the tournament.
Junior Taylor Simoneau (161) took third place overall, six strokes behind Pennington. Nattavadee Khunsri (165) tied for eighth and Julie Gauvin (174) tied for 19th to complete the team scoring. Jirada Kluaymaingarm (22nd) and Estelle Verny (T-24) also played for the Hornets.
“The first day was cold and windy, and that course is tough,” said Rick McCall Jr., DSU’s head golf coach. “Amber is just a freshman, but she played a really steady game in the second round.”
Cape drops two in tri-meet
A combination of inexperience and challenging weather contributed to the first losses of the season for the Cape Henlopen High School golf team April 1, against Caesar Rodney and Polytech at Wild Quail Golf & Country Club.
“[It was a] horrible day to play golf, yet the team battled – mostly themselves and the weather,” head coach Rob Harrod said.
Cape’s 212 total was two strokes higher than Polytech and 23 more than Caesar Rodney. With high winds and a soggy course from heavy rains the night before and the morning of the match, the round was going to be tough for all three teams.
Sophomore Ethan Mercer led the Vikings with his 49. Junior Seth Reynolds’ 50 was his best score of the season thus far, which Harrod attributed to a quiet, businesslike approach to playing. Junior Tom Burn’s 53 was his worst round of the year, and freshman Dylan Baker posted a 60 in his very first varsity match to complete the team scoring.
This is a rebuilding year for the Vikings, historically one of the better teams in the Henlopen Conference. No team member has more than one year of experience playing on varsity, and like every other Delaware scholastic golfer, all of Cape’s golfers missed last season due to the pandemic. The scores posted by Cape and many other schools in these early matches reflects those unfortunate facts.
The good news is that the Cape team bonds well, and the players are both coachable and high-spirited. After spring break, the Vikings have a full week of practice beginning Monday, April 12, with the next match set for Monday, April 19, against Delmar.
Here’s how you can help
If you would like to help the Cape Henlopen High School golf team, you now have a special opportunity. A wide variety of Cape Golf logo clothing, including hats, hoodies, shirts and jackets in men’s and women’s designs, is now on sale at https://capegolf2021spring.itemorder.com/sale through Sunday, April 18.
Proceeds support team expenses. Thank you for your assistance!
Tifosi offers new model golf sunglasses
The folks at Tifosi Optics sent me a pair of the eyewear company’s new Centus golf sunglasses to test.
The wrap-around Smoke Bright blue polycarbonate lenses are shatterproof, and the tint works well in the variable green environment of a sunlit golf course. The hydrophilic rubber nose pieces keep the glasses snug and secure, with no shaking or moving during the swing. They are also handy for biking.
The price is also appealing, at only $25 a pair. For ordering or more information, including detailed descriptions of many other styles, go to tifosioptics.com.
Moving around
We played The Rookery April 6 and noticed how well the greens had recovered from the recent aerifying and sand spreading. My golfing companions and I also saw that some hole locations were in some rarely seen places, such as the far-right sides of the fifth and 12th greens.
Golf hole locations are not just a matter of placing one-third in front, one-third in back and one-third in the middle of the greens. There’s more to it, as Rookery Course Superintendent Mike Pyne explained.
He said he asked a staff member to “try and spread the love. Around cups, there’s very high traffic with this much play, so we must move the traffic areas all around the greens to help them and keep the course interesting to golfers.”
If a rotating hole location practice is followed routinely, the full scope of the green designs will be experienced and perhaps even enjoyed after several rounds.
Local club competition results
Easter Week also marked the return of the Mulligan’s Pointe Ladies 18 Hole golf season, with a Low Gross/Low Net contest.
Diane Braver won first place in the gross category, with Joann Zorb in second and Ann Reid in third.
Linda Townsend won first-place net, with Pam Pichola in second and Kathy Hudak in third.
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Fritz Schranck has been writing about the Cape Region's golf community since 1999. Snippets, stories and anecdotes from his columns are included in his new book, "Hole By Hole: Golf Stories from Delaware's Cape Region and Beyond," which is available at the Cape Gazette offices, Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, Biblion Books in Lewes, and local golf courses. His columns and book reviews are available at HoleByHole.com.
Contact Fritz by emailing fschranck@holebyhole.com.
