This story is sponsored by Forward Financial Bank
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – The Marshfield girls golf team only has four players, leaving the Tigers no wiggle room.
No one can be sick or injured, and the Tigers would have a tough time if any of the girls had a bad round.
None of that has happened, and the team of senior Macy Fitzgerald, junior Molly Field, and sophomores Ana Jensen and Jordyn Fitzgerald find themselves on the brink of winning the Clover Valley Golf League championship.
The Tigers head into the final two meets of the season in first place in the conference standings after winning three of the five CVGL meets and placing second in the other two.
Marshfield stands seven points ahead of Osseo-Fairchild with meets at Marshfield Country Club on Sept. 24 and at Eau Claire Country Club on Sept. 26 to finish the regular season.
“When we first sat down at the beginning of the year, I asked them what their team goals were,” Marshfield coach Mike Field said. “The first one was, with four girls, was to stay healthy and fit. Coming back, I know they spent a lot of time on their game during the summer and that we’d have a good chance to compete.
“Another goal we had was to be first or second in the conference. I think the ball is in our court and we can either win or lose based on the last two meets. The third goal we have is to make it to sectionals as a team, and I think we can do that.”
Coach Field said the team spends more than half of its time practicing chipping and putting. He said the team can easily shave 5-10 shots off its score with improvements on and around the greens. That was evident on Tuesday at the fifth CVGL meet at Stevens Point Country Club, he said, where the Tigers putted well on some challenging greens and pin placements. Marshfield edged O-F by four shots to win the team title.
Another aspect the Tigers have improved on this season is the mental part of the game.
“They’ve got good skills…we really work on the mind game,” Field said. “They really worked on that and that’s where we’ve seen their growth and more consistency. They have a great attitude and keep their chins up and are confident, even when they have a tough time.”
Three of the four girls sit in the top 10 in the overall individual standings in the conference, with Molly Field just one point behind Amanda Pederson of Osseo-Fairchild for the top spot. Jensen sits in fifth and Jordyn Fitzgerald is seventh.
Throw in the senior, Macy Fitzgerald, who along with Field reached the WIAA Division 1 sectionals last season, and the Tigers are primed to make the final month of the season a memorable one.
“We had a girl transfer to a different school that may have been our No. 3 or No. 4 for our team,” Coach Field said. “One of the challenges we have in Marshfield is trying to get a girls golf program up and running and keep the excitement. I think winning helps a lot of things and I hope that by doing well this season will entice more girls to golf.”
Following the two Clover Valley meets, Marshfield will compete in the Division 1 regional at Stevens Point Country Club on Oct. 2. The sectional is set for Oct. 8 in La Crosse, and the state tournament is Oct. 14-15 in Madison.
“In the beginning of the year, we had high aspirations and I don’t have any problem challenging them to set their expectations high,” Field said. “My philosophy has always been, ‘One stroke, one hole at a time.’ Bad or good shot, it doesn’t matter, you’re on to your next one.”