First-year Bishop Feehan team rules field
MARSHFIELD >> Like the rest of her teammates, Hanley Correia knew she was taking a foray into uncharted territory when she opted to join Bishop Feehan’s new girls golf program. Early in the spring, no one could have predicted exactly what the future had in store for the team, having been constructed essentially from scratch.
Thanks in large part to the freshman’s efforts, the Shamrocks have already etched their place in history. Correia finished even par (73), as Bishop Feehan captured the 2023 South Sectional championship with a combined score of 350 at Marshfield Country Club on Tuesday.
“They’ve worked hard all year long,” said Bishop Feehan coach Angel MacLeod. “This is our first season, so they kind of just clicked well together. They were really looking forward to this. They practiced hard, they had a great week of preparation.”
It may have been the Shamrocks’ first crack at a sectional tournament, but it certainly didn’t appear as such. Bishop Feehan outpaced the field by 45 strokes, with Notre Dame Academy (Hingham) finishing as the runner-up. In addition to
Correia, the Shamrocks were propelled by Carol Pignato (82) and Nora Charnley (84).
While many struggled with the twists and the turns of the course, Correia found herself thriving. She proceeded to shoot an eagle on the eighth hole, and she was just getting started.
“It is definitely a tough course,” Correia said afterward. “Especially if you don’t hit the ball so long. It plays very long, the greens are tough. All of them are tiered, and they can give you problems if you’re not on the right side of them.”
When the final results were calculated, Correia finished with the top individual score, besting Hingham standout Piper Jordan by three strokes. Bishop Feehan had three athletes place among the top five scorer.
MacLeod has served as Bishop Feehan’s boys golf coach for years, and has had members of the Shamrocks’ new girls team participate with the squad in previous years. However, it appears there just might be a brand new program on the rise.
“We were just pushing for the girls to play in the spring,” MacLeod said. “I’m glad they took a leap of faith, and decided to do it. Got some girls to play, and they just really want it. The girls wanted it.”