More BCHS Golf

• 2008 Fall All-Area Teams: Boys, girls golf
• Local golf briefs: No area players advance at Champions Tour Q-School; Ex-Cougar McMahon part of Arizona state champions
• Prep golf: Community School girls finish sixth; Gulf Coast's Smyser ties for ninth at state tournaments

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Gulf Coast freshman Emma Smyser and Estero senior Ryan Clase both finished their respective state golf tournaments much happier than a day ago.

Smyser shook off a first-round 82 to fire a 1-over 73 and tied for ninth in the Class 2A girls tournament at Ridgewood Lakes in Davenport. Clase bounced back from an 81 also with a 73 to tie for 24th in the Class 1A boys tournament at The Golf Club at Bridgewater in North Lakeland on Wednesday.

“It was a lot better than yesterday,” said Smyser, the conference and region champion. “I started off really well. I hit a lot of the fairways and greens. I was making some putts for birdies. That kind of got me into a good mood.”

So did the weather. While it was chilly on Wednesday, the conditions weren’t as bad as they were Tuesday: 30-40 mph winds and dropping temperatures.

“That helps out a lot, too,” Smyser said.

Smyser two-putted for a birdie on a par-5 for one of the birdies. In addition to wanting to bounce back from her first-round score, she also wanted to beat her playing partners, which included eventual state champion Madison Pressel, the younger sister of LPGA Tour star Morgan Pressel. Madison Pressel did win the title, but shot a 78, nine shots higher than her first round.

“I ended up beating both of them,” said Smyser, whose 73 tied for the lowest score of the day. “I was beating them within the first three holes. That kind of kept me excited. It made me stay a lot more focused.”

Smyser credited her teammates for helping her get to state. The Sharks qualified as a team at districts, and Smyser struggled there and would not have advanced to the region tournament as an individual otherwise.

Also in the 2A state tournament, the Barron Collier girls finished 13th, just where they started the day. The Cougars improved five shots with a 386 for a 777 total after a hectic week; athletic director Jason Mitterwager and coach Shelley Hopper mutually agreed last week that Hopper would no longer coach the team, including at the state tournament. Boys coach Vic Carder ended up coaching the Cougars.

“They’re such a young team,” said Carder, who got approval from Pelican’s Nest, where he’s the pro, to make the trip. “They’re a great bunch of girls to be around. They were a lot of fun. You look at it as a growing experience for them. They bonded together.”

Freshman Stephanie Carlozzi led the way for the Cougars with an 84, but was disappointed after triple-bogeying her 17th hole.

“My goal was to beat yesterday’s score, and I didn’t so I was a little upset,” she said.

But on a team with no seniors, Carlozzi is enthusiastic about the future.

“It’s so cool, especially as a freshman, to be able to go up with such a fun team,” she said. “It was really interesting to see all of the different players from all over the state. Hopefully we can go every year.”

Other scores for Barron were: Michelle Federman, a 95 for a two-day total of 189; Meagan Flodeen 104/213, Andrea Groch 103/210, and Elizabeth Conway 109/217.

At the boys 1A tournament, Clase, who missed all of his junior year with a wrist injury, made four birdies, including a 6-footer on his final high school hole.

“I played the worst I did all year (on Tuesday),” he said. “I played much better today. I’m pleased.”

Clase said he hopes to play in college, and has Florida Gulf Coast, South Florida and Central Florida on his list.