Brick, Marian Catholic open in style
Updated: August 16, 2011 5:10PM
Woulda, shoulda, coulda.
Sylvie Brick had that feeling Monday after scoring 1-over 72 in the Marian Catholic Invitational at Coyote Run Golf Course in Flossmoor.
Brick was pleased with winning the individual title, and pleased that Marian Catholic captured the team crown. It’s just that there was so much more out there.
“I’m not particularly happy,” Brick said. “There were a lot of missed opportunities. There were at least four more birdie putts out there.”
The attitude that there’s always something more to achieve has made Brick, a senior who had an inward nine of 1-under 34, into one of the leading players in the state and one of the leaders on the Spartans.
“My philosophy is, if I work hard, the possibilities are endless,” Brick said. “If I put in the work, in the end everything will fall into place.”
Things did for the Spartans. Their total of 36-over 320, including a 6-over 77 from junior Bree Veazey, brought them an 18-stroke victory over Homewood-Flossmoor and may represent a change in the balance of power in south suburban girls golf.
The Vikings, who graduated Ashley Armstrong, Michelle Mayer and Ryann Gilley after last season, were also without senior Lauren Dawson, who left the team for reasons unknown.
“I found out Friday,” H-F coach Rick Pavinato said. “I don’t know where it came from.”
Dawson’s departure prompted Pavinato to elevate senior Taylor King to the varsity, and she responded with a 15-over 86 to go with the 11-over 82 from Sarah Armstrong, an 83 from Katelyn Hoag and an 87 from Elizabeth Hassett. Dawson might have been expected to come in anywhere from 74 to 78 on an average day, so the Vikings will have to buckle down to make up those strokes.
“We were just going to go out and do our best,” Pavinato said.
The good news for the Vikings was that all five players, including Paige Minett, whose 94 was the fifth score and didn’t count toward the team total, scored better on the back nine.
Lincoln-Way East freshman Kelly Sterling finished third with a 5-over 76. The Griffins took fourth as a team, a stroke behind Benet.
Sterling, who built her round around solid chipping, is a freshman, but no rookie. She finished fourth in the Illinois Junior Golf Association’s junior standings, with wins at Sanctuary and Silver Lake. Counting Monday, she has been in the 70s in nine of her past 10 competitive rounds, including the last five.
“Throughout the year the scores have gotten lower and lower,” Sterling said. “I’m just hoping to do my best.”
And, she added, to eventually beat some of the team records set by her older sister Kathy, a freshman at Louisiana-Monroe.
Marian, meanwhile, ruled. Along with Brick and Veazey, Samantha Barlage carded 12-over 83 and Nina Nicpon scored 17-over 88, Nicpon opening with seven straight pars. Barlage, meanwhile, admitted to being nervous.
“I’m glad I didn’t freak out,” Barlage said. “I had jitters. A lot of them go away after the drive on the first tee, but I still had them over four-footers for par.”
Marian Catholic finished sixth in Class AA last year and has everyone back. That should count for something.
“There are definitely higher expectations for the team,” Brick said. “Going downstate last year, that was a big deal. It was good for the girls to see what the state tournament is like.”
This year?
“I want some hardware,” Brick said.
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