The Garden City Telegram

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Experience key for Lady Buff golfers

Published 8/28/2010 in Prep-Garden City

GCHS girls ready to improve on sixth place finish at state tourney.

By BRETT MARSHALL

bmarshall@gctelegram.com

If high school golf records were maintained in percentages like so many other sports, by all standards the 2009 Garden City High School Lady Buffaloes golf team had a banner year.

Winning seven of their nine tournaments, the Buffs batted — or in this case, putted, chipped and drove — .778.

And while that lofty record will go down as one of the finest in GCHS history, veteran coach Lloyd Tiffany knows that it can be even better.

That's because only one player — Syd Sassman — is gone from that six-player lineup that swept through the Western Athletic Conference, won the Class 6A regional and then stubbed its toe at the state tournament in Dodge City by finishing a disappointing sixth, 23 shots behind champion Blue Valley North.

"We were pretty much five deep a year ago," said Tiffany a few days before the Buffs head to Hays for their season opener Monday at Smoky Hill Country Club.

It was a stellar cast of underclassmen that paved the way for the 2009 success, and they return perhaps even better, and more motivated, than a year ago.

Juniors Mackenzie Thayer and Anna Robinson, sophomore Abbey Campbell and the lone senior, Taylor Morrow, anchor what Tiffany thinks might well turn out to be his best team.

"Four of them, except Taylor, played considerable summer competition and all had varying levels of success," Tiffany said. "I know they took a little break right at the end of July, got rested and came back ready to go when we began our practices a couple of weeks ago."

And while Tiffany will miss the consistency of the graduated Sassman, he is eager to see how his newest addition, freshman Abbi Shaddix, will perform.

"Even though she's just a freshman, she comes ready to contribute immediately," Tiffany said. "She worked hard on her game, improved a lot and I think will be a key contributor."

Tiffany's sixth player a year ago — Audrey Gerber — is back for her sophomore year, and the Buffs' coach has little feel for how much she will have improved over a year ago.

"She didn't play a lot since last year, so I don't know yet," Tiffany said. "We really need a sixth player to step up and be able to have a score that matters."

And while Campbell, Robinson, Shaddix and the others are solidly contributing, it is Thayer who sparks the Lady Buffs.

She is the two-time defending WAC champion, and she placed 11th at state last year after a seventh place finish her freshman season. She shot rounds of 84 at Alvamar in Lawrence her rookie year and then had an 83 at Dodge City Country Club last year.

"I just feel we're gonna be stronger than a year ago," Tiffany said. "I've seen the girls early in practice, and they're well ahead of where they were a year ago."

Thayer had a solid summer of competition, just missing qualifying for the U.S. Girls Junior Championship in Denver but then winning the Kansas title and earning a trip to the National Insurance Youth Classic in New Jersey in late July.

"She, like most of the others, committed to a summer of competing and it will pay off for them this year I believe," said Tiffany.

The Buffs coach sees arch-rival Dodge City and Hays as the other top contenders in the WAC.

"Dodge still has a strong team, a good group of juniors," Tiffany said. "Hays has got a couple of girls back, and they finished fourth in 5A."

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GARDEN CITY BUFFALOES GIRLS GOLF

Coach: Lloyd Tiffany

League: Western Athletic Conference

Aug. 30 — at Hays

Sept. 9 — at Dodge City

Sept. 13 — GARDEN CITY INV.

Sept. 21 — at Salina South

Sept. 23 — at Liberal

Sept. 29 — at Wichita North

Sept. 30 — at Hutchinson

Oct. 5 — at Great Bend

Oct. 11 — Class 6A Regional, TBA

Oct. 18 — Class 6A State, TBA

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