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Six BHS girls qualify for state golf final
The Battlefield girls golf team is set to send six members to the Group AAA state final after placing third at regions Monday.
Marisa Riley (96), Myla Brown (96), Olivia Kil (99) and Grace Kim (104) all made the top 30 percent of contenders at the Rock Harbor Golf Club in Winchester. They join the varsity team's top two members, junior Karishma Thigaraj and freshman Khushboo Thiagaraj, who already qualified for states. The girls will be competing just a couple weeks after senior teammate Brendan Pastor brought home a top-25 showing for the boys.
"With the girls, I was expecting seven of the eight to make it. It's a very strong team," said head coach Thomas Metts.
The number of female golfers from Battlefield ending up at states each year is on the rise. Metts said that two years ago, only one made it, with that number doubling last year when Riley and Tara Buchanan earned a spot the same year Andrew Lister clinched the program's first-ever individual state title.
Metts said he saw a lot of the champion's characteristics in Pastor, particularly regarding their shared level of focus.
"He showed a patience and a determination that I (had) seen with Andrew Lister last year," said Metts. "He worked very hard."
According to Metts, Pastor's personal conduct and approach to the game is similar to Lister, something he said "comes with maturity."
"Brendan was on the team for four years. He was a very mature player this year with a lot of experience and it really showed off at states," said Metts.
Expectations for both of the Thigaraj sisters are high entering the two-day championship due to be held Oct. 25-26 in Virginia Beach at the Red Wing Golf Club. Metts pointed out that Karishma won the Maryland junior amateur championship titles in 2008 and 2010, so she has experience in high-pressure situations.
"She has the potential for winning the state tournament next week or at least getting a medal for getting in the top five," he said.
The girls are preparing by taking care of academic work early as the state championship falls is held during two school days. Metts also has the players training at the Regency Country Club golf course in Haymarket because of its relatively compact set up. He said that driving is not an issue for his golfers as it's something they've done well this year.
Taking time to work on approach shots and putting is what he's "aiming" to do, he said, because "that's what's going to help them reduce their scores next week."
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