COUDERSPORT — Bradford High girls golf coach Judy Abbey had a pretty good idea who the teams to beat would be coming into Thursday’s Coudersport Invitational and she was right.
“State College, Warren and Hollidaysburg are all powerhouse teams,” she said following the tournament held at the Coudersport Country Club.
State College won the 18-hole team portion of the event with a score of 265, followed by Warren with a 274. Hollidaysburg settled for fourth place with a 304.
A surprise top finisher was Smethport, which grabbed third with a 303. Laura Alfieri led the Lady Hubbers with a 94.
“Smethport was impressive,” Abbey pointed out. “They are really coming around and will be good competition when it comes to playing them one more time.”
Bradford’s Lady Owls claimed 5th place with a 305. Rounding out the top eight teams were Cameron County with a 344, in 6th; Coudersport with a 360, in 7th and Port Allegany with a 413, in 8th place.
Individually, Warren’s Megan Smoulder was the 18-hole medalist with an 83, followed by Ashley Stewart from State College with an 84.
“It was a great day, very competitive,” said Coudersport coach Don Kirby.
Bradford’s Erin Pecora took fourth place with a 91.
“Taking fourth for Erin was very good,” stated Abbey. “She started out a little rough, but came back and played well. She was competitive the whole time.”
Other local players who played well were Cameron County’s Kendyl Guisto (106), Kane’s Erin Paulson (109), Coudersport’s Stephanie Frye (117) and Port Allegany’s Kaylee Ernst (118).
“Makayla Belser shot a 97, which was awesome for her,” said Abbey. “This was her first experience under the pressure of a tournament situation. She is really coming around. Makayla and Erin stepped up and really did a good job today.”
In the nine-hole competition, which was just individual play, Bradford’s Samantha Williams won the event with a score of 51.
“That was impressive for a first-year player,” Abbey emphasized.
“This was a nice tournament, it was very competitive and really run well,” she added.
Bradford returns to action on Monday, hosting Port Allegany.
