New season begins
Golfers ready to kick off fall campaign
The Siloam Springs girls golf team kicks off the 2016-17 athletic season on Monday when it competes in the annual Springdale Invitational at Springdale Country Club.
It’s the first competition of the school year for any team in the district, and the Lady Panthers will be followed in the same event on Tuesday by the boys golf team.
The Lady Panthers feature seven golfers for the year, including a pair of seniors who have seen plenty of varsity action over the last several years.
Seniors Bailey Turner and Halle Hevener have a combined seven years in the program, including four for Turner.
“Bailey was around for the conference championship and been around some pretty good players,” said head coach Michael Robertson. “I’m pleased and excited about how hard they have worked. Both have made big gains.” Turner has played since she was a freshman.
“Bailey has made huge improvements,” Robertson said. “She’s always got a smile on her face and ready to work hard.”
Hevener, meanwhile, joined the team as a sophomore.
“Halle was frustrated at the end of last year because it wasn’t coming together for her,” Robertson said. “She has worked her tail off in the winter and spring.”
Junior Brinkley Beever will likely be the Lady Panthers’ top golfer on a daily basis. Beever, who was NWA Media’s Newcomer of the Year as a freshman in 2014, has spent a lot of time on the golf course in the offseason. But she’s also been involved with the First Tee in Lowell and has had experience with the LPGA when it comes to Rogers every summer for the NW Arkansas Open event held at Pinnacle Country Club.
Robertson said Beever is as good as any of the top golfers that have come through Siloam Springs in recent years.
“She’s right there,” he said. “She’s got a chance to be the best. She’s driven unlike anybody we’ve ever had. She wants to play on the tour one day, not just in college. “She wants a career in golf. She’s doing everything she can to make that happen. Anything golfrelated that she can participate in, she does.”
Beever averaged around 92 last year and Robertson hopes she can dip into the mid 80s this year as a junior.
“She’s definitely capable of doing that,” he said.
Sophomores McKenzie Blanchard, Jaelee Snyder, Kaitlyn Robinson and Kendal McCormick round out the Lady Panthers’ roster.
The Lady Panthers will have to share Blanchard with volleyball during the fall and she’ll also play basketball.
“She’s pulled in every direction,” Robertson said. “She really enjoys golf and has played in the state tournament before. She’s capable of putting up one of our lowest scores. I’m expecting a good season out of McKenzie.” Snyder was the alternate for the state tournament team last year.
“Jaelee is one that’s really improved and is battling and fighting for one of the top five spots,” Robertson said. McCormick is another player that is shared with volleyball and just recently joined the golf team.
“She’s got a lot of natural ability,” Robertson said. “She just needs time to get better.” Robinson played last year as a freshman.
“Kaitlyn is another one that’s improved and will continue to improve and is fighting for a top five spot on varsity,” he said.
The state tournament will be at Big Creek Golf and Athletic Club in Mountain Home for the second straight year. Defending state champion Jonesboro is the favorite to regain its title, while Greenwood will be good again, Robertson said. “I think we’ve got a chance to be as good as anybody,” Robertson said. “We’ve just got to find three good scores.”
NOTES: The Panthers and Lady Panthers returned Monday night from a twoday excursion to Branson, Mo. The teams, who go on an annual summer trip, participated in an “escape room” experience on Sunday morning before playing a round of golf at Ledgestone Country Club in Reed Springs, Mo., just outside of Branson. “It’s a very nice course,” Robertson said. The teams then spent a day at White Water in Branson.