Though sometimes an under-recognized part of fall sports, the Princess Anne Golf Team recently completed another solid season in region 5A, with a final stretch as exciting as they come.
After a slow start to the season with three straight losses, the team won its first match, 344-363, over Salem at Red Wing Park on Aug. 24. Despite close defeats to strong Cox and Kempsville teams, PA made improvements throughout the season that allowed them to win four of their last five games, beating Tallwood, Green Run, and Bayside.
At Stumpy Lake Golf Course on Sept 21, PA finished four points behind Kempsville, but outscored Green Run 337-441 to successfully qualify for the postseason, taking the final spot at the regional tournament. Sophomore player Finn Worrall named clinching the match as his favorite moment of the year, saying “we were all gathered around the last hole, waiting for everyone to finish their rounds. There was this one shot we had to make to go to regionals, and we made it.”
Speaking about the team’s run, Coach Paul Shows said “I was extremely pleased that we were able to qualify for regionals. We had several players come through the clutch in our last regular season match.”
Specific players Shows highlighted for their improvement included senior Jack Pappas, who “made huge strides over the course of the season and shot his lowest score during the regional,” and junior Lucas Letada, who “had a strong finish to the season as well making the last two matches his best scores of the season.” In addition, he praised sophomore Finn Worrall and senior Ellery Wetzler as the foundation of the team that led them through the season.
This season was a bright one for Princess Anne, as they improved upon their 2022 record and left a lot of hope for next season. Although next season will suffer the loss of 3 key players and teammates, an exciting group of players will be returning, so the future looks bright for golf at Princess Anne.
