By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

GRANITE QUARRY — East Rowan junior golfer Hannah Waddell wants her scorecard to be in the 70s, not the 90s, so she didn’t have the autumn of golf that she wanted.

But if greatness prove elusive, she was still very good. The most consistent player from start to finish, she’s the Post’s Rowan County Golfer of the Year for the third time in a row.

“My progress this year was not as good as I wanted,” Waddell said thoughtfully. “So I think my strongest accomplishment was just to maintain being at the top of the conference and the county.”

Waddell had her moments. There were days filled with pars. There was a 38 for nine holes at Warrior. There was a 39 at Corbin Hills.

But the weather kicked up fiercely for most of the key golf dates in October. On those days, she was just trying to survive.

In the Rowan County Championships, Waddell shot 91 on a rainy day at Corbin Hills when the girls played 18. She tied teammate Addison Queen for the prestigious title of county champion. Waddell was solo champ as a freshman and sophomore.

Then the weather at the all-important 3A West Regional made the dismal conditions at the county tournament seem almost pleasant. The wind howled and the temperature dropped at Lenoir’s Cedar Rock Golf Club.

“It was freezing,” Waddell said. “Awful day.”

Qualifying for the state tournament comes down to that one round at the regional. There are no postponements, no do-overs. You either find a way to do it or you don’t.

Waddell managed to qualify with a 95. She wasn’t thrilled with it, but it was enough to get her to her third straight state tournament. It was a blustery day on which some good golfers, including Queen, shot 105. It was a day some decent golfers shot 125.

“When the going got tough, Hannah dug in,” East Rowan coach Tinsley Merrell said. “That wasn’t her best day, but she’s not going to quit. She’s going to fight through it. Attitude is so important in golf, and she’s able to keep an even keel when things aren’t going great. Some girls are on a roller coaster out there, but she never is.”

There were more ups and downs ahead at the 3A State Championships in Southern Pines, but Waddell got back on track with rounds of 90 and 88.

She was more consistent off the tee, steadier on her approach shots. She parred her last three holes. She made eight pars on her way to that 88 and finished in a tie for 20th.

“I was just glad to make some pars at state,” Waddell said.  “It was a good season. It’s a good season when you win championships.”

The Mustangs didn’t make it back to the state tournament as a team, but they won the South Piedmont Conference — Waddell was SPC Player of the Year — and they dominated the Rowan County Championships with the top three finishers and four of the all-county eight.

East’s girls have won six county titles in a row. Retired coach Rhett Teems got that streak started. Merrell has extended it.

“The girls meshed well as a team and they learned some thing along the way,” Merrell said. “A lot of golf was played. Most important, memories were made.”

Merrell wants Waddell to succeed in golf almost as much as Waddell does.

But she wants to see her enjoy herself as much as she wants her to score well.

“Hannah’s scores were a tad higher this year, but when you look at it, she was still good enough to medal in nine of the 11 matches we played,” Merrell said. “And I thought she smiled more this year than I’ve ever seen her smile. When you can have fun and enjoy your teammates and still compete your hardest — and still win — well, that’s the icing on the cake. That’s what it’s all about.”

Waddell moves on now to hoops. Besides her golf skills, she’s East’s leading scorer on the basketball court. She averaged 11.7 points as a sophomore.

“Golf and basketball are still about equal for me,” Waddell said. “I’ll still be doing both sports.”

 

All-Rowan County team:

The team is determined by scores in the 18-hole Rowan County Championships.

East — Hannah Waddell (91), Addison Queen (91), Emma Cornelison (96), Kaley Pfister (107)

South — Ava Blume (98), Kassidy Sechler (99), Ella Carden (104)

North — Azaria Elder (106)

 

Coach of the Year — Tinsley Merrell, East

Comeback — Sidelined from softball by a heart condition, Sechler returned to athletics as a golfer and was a state qualifier.

CCC — Elder was tournament champ in the Central Carolina Conference, while Salisbury’s Kendall Colwell placed fourth in the CCC for the season.

Gray Stone —  Hannah Lineberry was a state qualifier in 1A/2A, shot 97-94 — 191 and tied for 24th.

North Hills —  Freshman Reese Merrell, Tinsley Merrell’s niece, shot  85 in the NCISAA Championships held at Bryan Park in Browns Summit and tied for 21st.