Garden City golf coach Clayton Fryar said he can sense the expectations that surround the girls golf program.
Retired coach David Wood helped to build the program into one of the best in the state in Class 1A.
And now the Lady Kats are looking to add to their recent dynasty when they aim for a fourth consecutive state title at the Class 1A State Tournament taking place at Crystal Falls Golf Club in Leander on May 4-5. No other team has won four straight girls golf titles at the Class 1A level, according to UIL records.
“It’s definitely a different feel than the boys because they have been so successful in years past,” said Fryar, who took over head coaching duties of both the Garden City boys’ and girls’ programs after Wood’s retirement. “You feel the expectations; they’re not hoping to make it, they’re expecting to make it. They know they lost a really good scorer from the last four years with Rylee Wood graduating. I’ve been fortunate and blessed just to watch the experience show up in these tournaments.”
Four of the five golfers on this year’s team return from last year in senior Keegan Batla, sophomore Joslyn Halfmann and juniors Helen Marshall and Gracie Rainey. New to the team this year is senior Karly Baker.
Garden City is coming off a second-place finish at the Region II-A Tournament earlier this month at Shady Oaks Golf Course in Baird as the team shot 395-392—787 total, while Batla was the runner-up medalist with an 80-78—158 total.
Fryar said he tries not to talk to the girls about going for another state title in order to take some of the pressure off.
“I feel there was some pressure to get out of region and get back to state to keep that tradition going and alive,” he said. “And now that we’re looking at the scores that are around and out across the state, there are five schools coming in that are shooting below a total team score of 800 and we’re one of them. I know there’s a hunger and a desire to get back on the medal stand. They’re used to winning. I don’t imagine that (just medaling) is their mindset. It’s more of let’s go win it.”
Fryar said Batla has been playing in the No. 1 spot and she’s been getting better every week.
“She’s worked her game down to where she’s shooting in the 70s every time,” he said. “If you have that in your game, you’re already ahead of the game.”
Fryar said Halfmann has been battling some back tenderness this spring, but she had her best scores at the regional tournament. He said that Marshall and Rainey have been steady all year by shooting in the low 100s. And even though Baker is new to the program, Fryar said she’s a quality teammate, has improved and has been coming on strong lately to where they haven’t had to drop her score.
The coach said the experience should be an asset for his team as far as calming the nerves and knowing how to prepare for the state tournament.
“I haven’t been a head golf coach that much in my career and not at this level. But getting to watch their approach as opposed to the boys who haven’t been there before, I really got to see how much of an advantage that (experience) is,” Fryar said. “The girls already know what to expect, they know how to show up and get ready for the tournaments. They study the course beforehand; they study the hole locations beforehand. Having that knowledge established in that program before I got a hold of it has been big, and we’re going to try to keep that trend going because obviously that’s been a key to our success.”
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