Columbus East won its first girls golf match of the season Wednesday, but it may have come with a price.
Amaylie Walsh, the Olympians’ No. 4 golfer and lone senior, was walking from the No. 8 green to the No. 9 tee on Otter Creek’s North Nine when she was hit in the collarbone with an errant shot from a Greenwood player off the No. 8 tee. Walsh was unable to finish and was taken to the hospital.
As of late Wednesday night, Walsh’s status was unclear.
East posted its best score of the season in rolling to a 213-241 victory against the Woodmen.
“I’m definitely really excited because after we get this one win, I definitely feel like we can definitely recover and have the right mindset that we can keep our cool and just worry about the next shot,” freshman Emma Gill said.
“Since we have one, I think more are to come,” sophomore Abby King added.
Abby King
King and Gill each shot 51 to tie for medalist honors.
“I hit some bad shots here and there, but I recovered pretty well,” Gill said. “I just kept my calm and was like, ‘OK, I have the next shot. I’m going to make it on the green, and I’m going to one-chip and one-putt.’ I had a positive mindset, and I had my teammates just rooting me on, so I just really kept it going with a positive mindset.”
“I really just tried to hit the next shot and keep it going,” King added. “Even if I hit a bad one, just ‘Goldfish mindset,’ forget it and go.”
Calleigh Gill carded a 55, while Sofia Perez added a 56 and Kolbi Stephenson had a 60. Walsh was at 51 through eight holes.
“We showed progress tonight,” East assistant coach Keith VanDeventer said. “A 213 is by far the best we’ve done this year on a tough golf course for girls. It’s a step in the right direction, and we just have to keep working hard. We have five weeks to continue to improve.”
