Sturgis looking for good showing at state golf finals
STURGIS - Pressure is a privilege.
That's one of the mantras used by the Sturgis golf team to date this season. The Lady Trojans won another conference championship this season and were heavily front-loaded with tough tournaments to begin the season.
Then, last week, Ken Schau's team went out and qualified for the state finals. They headed into the regional tournament with pressure on them, as the Trojans knew they were fighting for just one of two potential spots for qualification.
St. Joseph was expected to run away with the regional title and the Bears accomplished that. Sturgis went into the regional knowing it would battle both Richland Gull Lake and Portage Northern for two of the final spots.
After shooting a 379, Sturgis' ticket was punched.
The Trojans finished 16 shots ahead of Portage Northern and qualified, while feeling like a million bucks. The regional was held at Point O' Woods Country Club in Benton Harbor, not an easy course to play, but Sturgis has felt just fine playing tough courses all year.
"We feel good. There's a good feeling with everybody and right now the biggest worry might be the weather, but we'll be squared away and prepared for that," Schau said Tuesday morning. "We feel good about the course we're playing, I think it sets up well for us."
When it comes to golf rankings, Sturgis found itself just on the outside looking in on the Top 10.
The Trojans do not really care where they are slotted by the rankings, but know they are going to be a team that can come in and compete at the state finals.
Schau said he believes Division 2 golf is the toughest division for the girls in Michigan, but he also knows his group will not let that bother them.
"I think we will be prepared, this team has been prepared all season long," he said. "I expect nothing else from this group and there is no feeling this week that this is an 'icing on the cake sort of thing' so now we just gotta go play."
The Division 2 state finals are being held on the campus of Michigan State University at Forest Akers East. The Division 1 finals will be played at Forest Akers West.
Junior Maddy Webb helped lead the Trojans to a Wolverine Conference title a couple weeks back by shooting a 78. The Trojans carded a team score of 352, which was the school's best score for an 18-hole event.
The Trojans have six players — Citori Kosmerick, Webb, Aspen Hyska, Hannah Falkenstein, Piper Sterling and Mia Martinez — but only five will get to tee it up at the state finals on Friday. Saturday's round could feature a separate lineup among the six.
"The seniors know we have a week left in their careers, but they're still trying to get better," Schau said.
When it comes to preparation, Sturgis does a lot of work. There will be hole-by-hole sheets for each golfer and they will spend Thursday's practice round looking to diagnose the course and find the best shots to hit on each.
"I like this group because they prepare for a golf match well, we are organized and looking forward to preparing as best we can on Thursday," Schau said.
The team will receive an escort out of town Thursday morning as they head up to East Lansing. Then they'll play the practice round and have some team time and a dinner before teeing it up on Friday.
Forest Hills Eastern, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook, Farmington Hills Mercy, Mason and Forest Hills Central are expected to battle it out for the top spot at the finals. Each of those schools finished with a regional score of 353 or better.
Sturgis is aiming for a Top 10 finish at the finals. It was a pre-season goal for the Trojans and it's certainly possible.
Contact Sports Editor Brandon Watson at bwatson@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as twitter, @BwatsonSJ.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Sturgis looking for good showing at state golf finals
