By Andy Warrener
The Laker/Lutz News Correspondent
The Steinbrenner girls golf team continued its perfect season by running away with the first regional championship in the program’s four-year history at Countryside Country Club Oct. 22.
The Warriors rolled through the regular season 12-0 and claimed a district title the week before regionals. Steinbrenner shot 352, beating Palm Harbor University by 15 strokes.
Mark Mann, who has coached the Warriors since the school opened in 2009, said it was his squad’s depth that earned the crown rather than any one player.
“My top three or four golfers are all right there,” Mann said.
Steinbrenner does not have a player who carries the rest of the team like Freedom sophomore Terese Romeo, who won the individual regional title by shooting 75.
The young Warriors were paced by sophomore Kelsy Holbert, who carded the fourth-best round of the event with a 79. Junior Brooke Deal and sophomore Claire Becker shot an 85 and 86, respectively.
“If they play up to what they’re capable of, they have a good shot at states,” Mann said.
Romeo, who won districts the week before, turned in the lowest round of the event just three months after surgery on her right wrist, besting her nearest competitor by three strokes. The operation forced her to golf with just one hand for most of this season.
Romeo’s bad wrist contributed to her not advancing out of districts last year. She has gone through a pair of surgeries since then to correct a painful form of tendonitis and remove a piece of protruding bone.
“I’m pretty happy,” Romeo said. “I played well, hit well, putted well. It’s kind of what I wanted to accomplish.”
Romeo said her putting game, which suffered most during rehab, is starting to come back.
If not for the sand traps on the final hole, Romeo would have really separated herself from the competition.
“My main focus in practice last week was getting back to where I can give myself a cushion to make mistakes later on the course,” Romeo said.
She did just that. Romeo triple-bogeyed the first hole, but recovered enough to finish 3-over on the front nine. She hit back-to-back birdies early on the back nine and was at even par heading into the final hole.
“Going into the last hole I was hoping I wouldn’t mess it up, and then I shanked one to the right,” Romeo said.
That’s when her ball got swallowed up by the sand, adding three strokes to her score. The traps played havoc all day.
Wiregrass Ranch senior Heather Muse shot an 82 last week at districts, but fell to a 96 at regionals mainly because of the sand.
“I was all in the sand,” Muse said. “I got in the sand a lot. I have sand in my hair.”
The Bulls managed to qualify for regionals for the first time in the program’s seven-year history, but could not take the step to states.
The Warriors coronation was not without controversy.
Steinbrenner sophomore Kayla Poff, a Plant transfer who shot an 88 the week before at districts, originally turned in the lowest round of the event with a 74. She and her playing partner agreed to the score and signed the card.
One of Poff’s competitors questioned her score. Warriors athletic director Eddie Henderson disqualified Poff after doing an internal investigation Oct. 23 and said she will not be competing with Steinbrenner at the Class 2A state final this week.
Dale Klaus, director of athletics for golf with the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA), said it is “very rare” for an athletic director to disqualify a competitor in such a way. He added that he was “proud of the way” Henderson conducted the investigation, met with all affected parties and came up with his decision.
The Warriors and Romeo play in the state tournament at Harbor Hills Country Club in Lady Lake Oct. 30 and 31.
—Sports Editor Kyle LoJacono contributed to this report.
Saddlebrook claims regionals
Saddlebrook Prep returns to states for the second time in three years by winning the regional meet at its home course Oct. 23. The Spartans shot a 307 at the event, besting second-place Crystal River by just four strokes. They will compete at the Class 1A state tournament at Mission Inn Resort and Club in Howey-in-the-Hills Oct. 30 and 31.
Claudia Rami earns state berth
Carrollwood Day School girls golfer Claudia Rami advanced to the Class 1A state tournament by finishing sixth at regionals Oct. 22 at The Eagles Golf Club. Rami shot an 80 to qualify individually. She plays at Mission Inn Resort and Club in Howey-in-the-Hills Oct. 30 and 31.
