Panther and Papermaker golfers hit the greens

After a week of rain, the Washougal High School girls golfers welcomed Monday’s cold and windy conditions.

The Panthers also beat the Ridgefield Spudders 236-281 at Orchard Hills Golf Club, in Washougal.

“It’s great to start off senior year with a win,” said Laycee Hyde. “We’ve been golfing together for four years, and it’s been a lot of fun.”

Hyde and fellow seniors Coreena Breazeale, Lindsey Harrell and Taylor Heinrich have formed a strong bond by golfing together since they were freshmen. Junior Taylor Carranza, and sophomores Jordan Heinrich and Chelsea Chapman are also making contributions.

“We all want to shave our scores, and that comes from working hard together in practice,” Carranza said. “We also want to bring a lot of positive energy to our matches, and be a family.”

Breazeale and Harrell both shot rounds of 56 Monday. Jordan Heinrich added a 61, Hyde chipped in a 63 and Carranza rounded out with a 65. Ridgefield’s top golfer rolled in a 48, but the other three went 68-78-87. The top four rounds make up the team score.

“It feels good to get a win in our first match,” said Washougal head coach Scott Allen. “The first few matches are always tough because it’s cold and rainy. I’m glad the rain held off today until we finished.”

The Panthers participated in a Jamboree event March 8, at the Three Rivers golf course in Kelso. Carranza led the team with a 61. Hyde and Heinrich both shot a 62, and Chelsea Champman chipped in a 67. Carranza had a rougher day on Monday, but she cannot wait to get back on the course today to start correcting her mistakes.

“I need to stop aiming right,” she said. “There’s like this force field that says, ‘Taylor come my way.’ My short game was good. A lot of hits felt good today.”

The short game was Hyde’s Achilles heel Monday.

“I’m really looking forward to working on my putting,” she said. “My goal for senior year is to get in the low 50s, and to be satisfied with all of my shots.”

Washougal hosts La Center Monday, at Orchard Hills. Tee time is 3:30 p.m.

Camas fifth at Jamboree

The Papermaker girls golfers kicked off the season with a fifth-place finish in the Jamboree March 8, at the Three Rivers golf course in Kelso. Ashley Dryden and Yushuan Peng both had rounds of 49.

Camas squares off against Skyview today, at the Tri-Mountain golf course in Ridgefield, and Heritage Thursday, at Club Green Meadows in Vancouver. Both matches begin at 3 p.m.