Haley Cothran played 18 holes at Willowbrook Golf Club on Saturday.
She played 18 more on Sunday and will have her official practice round today before the Class AAA state championship begins on Tuesday.
“I want to prepare for it and be ready for it,” said the Soddy-Daisy senior, who recently gave a verbal commitment to play at Middle Tennessee State. “This is my last year and I’m going to give it my all.”
Cothran and teammate junior Jessica Cathey captured the state champion ship last year at Old Fort Golf Course. The two other Chattanooga area teams who won last year at Old Fort – Baylor and Signal Mountain – defended their championships at Willowbrook over the last two weeks.
So the Trojans are going again for the Scenic City sweep.
“Our girls are tough and when all the chips are in the middle of the table, they usually play their best,” said Soddy Daisy coach Kevin Templeton, who will have Sara Conner playing in the third spot. “Our girls really liked Old Fort and I’m not sure how it will go at Willowbrook where the scores seem higher.
“I like the horse we’re putting in the race.”
Soddy-Daisy combined to shoot 12-over-par 154 in the Region 3 Championship at Valleybrook. That’s the third lowest region score, but nine shots behind what Ravenwood fired in its region championship.
“That’s pretty impressive and they have the same three girls as last year,” Templeton said. “Our girls understand that they’ll be remembered for how they do in postseason and I’m confident they’ll give a good account of themselves.”
With the Trojans gunning for a title, the McMinn County boys team will be up in Manchester experiencing the championship with zero pressure or expectations. The Cherokees had the highest region score, 327, of the eight competing teams.
“We are definitely the underdogs and when you look at the scores, my gosh,” coach Jerry Quirk said. “We’re awful young. But we’re capable of posting some low scores and anything is possible.”