The varsity 1 girls are preparing for their next tournament on Oct. 1-2, Swing for the Cure at Brackenridge Golf Course in San Antonio, TX. This will be the second tournament of the season, following a successful Heart of Texas Invitational where Hebron placed first across 36 teams across the state.

Since the start of school, the team prepared for the Heart of Texas tournament by playing practice rounds. With both head coach Jeff Fields and assistant coach Kurt Grawunder being new to Hebron this year, qualifiers, which are practice rounds, helped the coaches get an idea of the players’ skills. In addition to qualifiers, the players prepared by doing short game drills like putting to practice their basic skills. 

“We’ve been playing a lot of qualifiers, and it’s been competitive with the top eight girls on our team,” senior Estelle Seon said. “We have definitely had to scramble to make a score and place in the top five [individually]. We practiced by going on the course or the race, and sometimes [we played] smaller games [as] drills.” 

The invitational was the first time the coaches saw the girls play in a competitive environment. Since some of the players are college-committed athletes who have played in national tournaments, the coaches had high standards. Grawunder said he was pleased with the results of the tournament. 

“The [girls] have exceeded our expectations,” Grawunder said. “Golf is an individual game, but when you’re taking a team score, [an individual’s score] may not count for each and every round. I think we were able to take every girl’s score at one point or another and that just proves how well they all played.”

Although the team placed first, some of the players said it wasn’t their personal best. For Seon, she believes her performance may have been affected due to not having time to practice on the course before the game started.

“I know for myself, I didn’t play well in that last game,” Seon said. “We didn’t get to practice both days in the morning, so it was a little bit different on our end [to not practice before competing]. We definitely didn’t expect [that change], but considering our scores, I am really proud of how everyone played. We have to polish things up and get ready for the next tournament and the spring tournaments.” 

The next tournament will be on Oct. 1-2, Swing for the Cure at Brackenridge Golf Course in San Antonio, TX. The eight girls playing for this tournament hope to improve from the last game. Senior Rae Cha was a medalist at The Heart of Texas Invitational, and it was her first game playing with the varsity 1 team.

“The [Heart of Texas Invitational] was a great warm-up tournament,” Cha said. “Overcoming individual struggles shows the mental strength of the team. Since we [placed] first, we’re hyped up and feeling confident about the season.” 

Being state champions for the last season, the team’s goals are high for this year as well; holding the championship title means the team is put on the spotlight, and the players will have to face the pressures of meeting high expectations.

“We would love to win the state championship again because it’s been done before,” Grawunder said. “But there [are] schools out there that are working to beat us since the target is now on us. We just have to work harder and continue to improve, which will be the biggest strength that we can look upon at the end of the season.”

Both Fields and Grawunder are focusing beyond just the scores and results. As coaches, they hope to build trust with the players so each individual can reach their best potential. They hope to use the tournament results as guidance on areas to improve on, but the coaches’s goal for this year isn’t to win anything: it’s for the players to know their full potential — a goal they hope will outlast their high school years. 

“Our accomplishments will be the result of hard work and preparation,” Grawunder said. “But the biggest goal is putting in the best effort and being committed to the [sport]. We want the players to reach their maximum potential and play to the best of their abilities.”