By Chris Bennett
Correspondent
The Elkhorn Area High School girls golf team did not open its season with a bang, but the team’s season did also not start with a whimper.
Elkhorn avoided posting a score of 400 and finished with a four-women team score of 381 August 13 in the Badger Varsity Par-3 Invitational at the Barn Hollow Course at Lake Geneva’s Hawk’s View Golf Course.
Barn Hollow is a par-3 course. The Elks’ team score put them in eighth place.
Elkhorn plays today in a nine-team invitational at Brighton Dale Links in Kansasville. The Elks open their SLC dual meet season Tuesday against Burlington at Browns Lake Golf Course in Burlington.
At Hawk’s View, Union Grove won the team title with a four-person score of 303. Waterford finished second (325), Wilmot third (327) and Burlington fourth (331).
Westosha Central/Shoreland finished fifth (354). Badger White finished sixth (370) and Badger Cardinal eighth (371). East Troy finished 10th (406).
Reigning Southern Lakes Conference Player of the Year Mari Suokko of Union Grove won individual medalist honors with an 18-hole score of 64.
Jessica Barrett led the Elks with an 84 and finished 19th overall. Elkhorn’s Gabi Timmer shot a 90 and finished 25th.
Carlie Hanson shot a 101, Ava Greeley a 106 and Emma Wolman a 117 for the Elks.
The Elks finished 1-5 in Southern Lakes Conference dual meets last season and seventh overall in the conference. Union Grove is the three-time defending SLC champion.
The SLC consists of seven teams for girls golf. Delavan-Darien does not field a program.
The Elks’ 2014 season ended Oct. 2 in a WIAA Division 1 regional tournament at Oak Ridge Golf Course in Milton.
The Elks’ Riley Shirk lost a one-hole playoff and missed advancing to the sectional meet by one stroke. The Elks finished seventh in the regional.
Coach Steve Fisher said freshman Grace Christian, sophomores Greeley and Hailey Czubernat, juniors Veronika Vigil and Wolman and seniors Grace Franz and Timmer will be counted on this season, in addition to returning letterwinners Barrett and Hanson.
“With the loss of several good players from a few teams, our conference favorites include Union Grove, Waterford, and Westosha,” Fisher said. “With the improved play of our returning girls, along with a few newcomers, we hope to be in the middle of the pack in our conference.”
Elkhorn played Monday in a scramble at Ives Grove Golf Link in Sturtevant against Wilmot, Badger, Union Grove, Burlington, Oak Creek, Racine Case and Racine Saint Catherine’s. The Elks played Wednesday in a 12-team invitational at Evergreen Golf Club in Elkhorn, which is the team’s home course.
