The girls’ golf team may have lost graduate Sam Bennett, who finished second in the state last season, but that isn’t stopping them from striving forward.

“The loss affects the team where obviously we don’t have that really low score to gauge on,” coach Jeremiah Mattingly said. “But I see more as what Sam left behind with these younger girls is just a hunger, a desire to achieve.”

Led by the play of sophomore Carter Day, the young girls’ squad has put together a competitive season for its final rounds in the Cap-8 before joining the Northern Athletic Conference in 2017.

Day’s rounds of 47, 51, 51, 56 and recently a 48 Oct. 3 at Northridge have her on the road to qualifying as an individual for regionals.

“I would like to be playing better, but it’s been going okay,” Day said.

Mattingly wants the girls to improve mentally in order to succeed on the course.

“Honestly the number one is for them to be confident in their games because they are good players,” Mattingly said.

Sophomore Lizzy Hussey and freshman Morgan McPhatter complete the young top three for the Cougars who are looking for that mental consistency and toughness.

Hussey’s low for the season is a 49. She shot a 51 at Northridge, followed by McPhatter with a 50.

The girls took fifth place overall, but lack the consistency that Mattingly is speaking to.

“It’s 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical,” Mattingly said. “Golf, every mistake just seems like it hurts so bad. It causes you to almost self-implode sometimes.”

The girls have finished as high as fourth, took sixth twice, and finished in seventh place once.

Day admits that there are some challenges involved in playing and learning how to play golf. She offered advice to people interested in picking up the sport.

“Just keep practicing. It’s hard at first, but just practice, practice, practice and you’ll get good,” Day said. “You have to have a positive attitude no matter what. You hit a bad shot, you have to bounce back from it.”

The team has already begun to show growth throughout the first three matches they have had. Mattingly has a few things he would like to see the girls continue to work on as they grow as players.

Mattingly said, “The consistency as far as don’t play just during the season. They’ve got to keep playing throughout the year. And then putting. All the girls, their putting and their short game because that’s where they can reduce the most strokes.”