Carson girls set for state golf tourney

It's always nice to start out well in any championship situation and that's exactly what Carson High School girls golf coach Paul Croghan will be looking for when the NIAA/U.S. Bank 4A State Golf Tournament tee off today and continues through Thursday at The Golf Club at Genoa Lakes.

"Anything can happen, especially being a two-day affair like it is. Try to

shoot a good number on Wednesday and go from there," Croghan said. "Genoa is a shorter course; we don't have any big hitters but they can hit it accurately and keep the ball in play and that's important down there. I think we could shoot another 450 like we did at Sierra Sage (in the final regular season match)."

The first group tees off at 10 a.m. today.

Carson earned its ticket to state with a third-place finish at the Northern 4A Regional Tournament this past Friday at Washoe County Gold Course in Reno.

The Senators shot 473 to finish two shots behind Galena and Reno (Galena won its second straight team title by virtue of a tie-breaker).

"We just want to continue to play well and see what happens," Croghan said.

"I think the short game will be a major factor in who wins. Genoa is a fairly short course, but it's got some water and there are dangerous spots and the greens can be difficult, so you have to play smart," Croghan said. "Our girls have played it

enough so they know where the problems are. If their short game holds up then I think we could do pretty well."

With five seniors in the lineup, the Senators have experience in postseason play. Carson finished eighth as a team at last year's state tournament.

Cassidy Baxter (86), Megan Mulvaney (87) and Katie Morton (92) all cracked the top 10 on the individual leader board at Washoe. Sara Liveratti and Christy Upton are the remaining two seniors.

"Going into this year, I felt the experience factor was definitely in our favor," Croghan said. "These girls have been playing two, three, even four

years in the program and I think that's gotta pay off in any sport."

Green Valley freshman Nicole McGirr won the individual title at the 4A Sunrise Regional girls golf tournament on the second playoff hole last Tuesday at Dragon Ridge Golf Club. The tournament was shortened from 18 holes to nine because of extreme winds that slowed down play.

Green Valley also won the team title, finishing with a 248. Silverado was second with a 257.

The Sunset Regional was played Monday, also at Dragon Ridge.

"That 248 seems like a high score for down there, but Dragon Ridge is a real tough golf course and if they stopped it after nine holes because of winds, then the conditions must have been pretty serious," Croghan said.