CENTRAL NEW YORK – Sometimes in years past, waiting until mid-April to start a regular season for area girls golf teams made no difference since courses were still, at times, unplayable due to lingering winter moisture.
That wasn’t the case in 2024, with the sun shining last Monday afternoon just in time for several teams to get underway, even though weather worsened as the week went on.
West Genesee underwent a big change, moving from the Westvale course the school district hopes to convert for different uses to the West Hill Golf Club a few miles away.
It worked for the Wildcats in the opener, a 172-188 victory over Cicero-North Syracuse Green where Sophia Simiele shot a 35, a full 10 shots better than the Northstars’ low round from Meghan Spink. Madalyn Lauricella added a 45, while Mia Barbuto and Lena Kent both finished with 46.
WG lost to Baldwinsville Red 214-220 a day later at Timber Banks. Simiele’s 46 beat the Bees’ Peyton Kowalski (48) by two strokes, while Barbuto tied for third with a 54, but no other Wildcats player had a score better than Lauricella’s 64.
Back at West Hill on Thursday, Simiele led the Wildcats past Liverpool 172-196, her 30 a full 14 shots ahead of the low Warriors round of 44 from Maddie Turck. Help came from Barbuto’s 46 and Lauricella’s 47 as Maddie Barstow and Gwyneth DeMass both posted 50, with 51s from Mia Raymond and Hollis Pfeiffer.
Marcellus started its season at Drumlins against Christian Brothers Academy, who was undefeated in 2023 and started here with a win, too, defeating the Mustangs 177-194.
Geneveive Formoza shot a 43, just behind the top CBA rounds of Clara DeFilippis (41) and Anna Fuller (42), while Allison Coombs contributed a 44 and Sofia Tufenkjian added a 48. Isabella Formoza had a 57.
Skaneateles would have back-to-back matches starting last Monday when it beat Bishop Grimes 213-245 at the Links at Erie Village. Cate Gunderson’s 50 and Beckett O’Brien’s 51 beat out the 52 from the Cobras’ Chloe Dailey, while Ella Arroyo shot 53 and Paige Posecznick’s 59 edged 60s from Emma Murphy and Chloe Corbett.
Then Skaneateles made it 2-0 by taking its Laker duel with Cazenovia 207-219. Again, it was a tight race at the top, but Corbett won it, her 49 edging out the 50 from O’Brien and 51 from Gunderson.
Marcellus met Cazenovia on Wednesday and won 206-218, with Coombs and Tufenkjian both shooting 49 to edge Cazenovia’s Grace Probe (50) in the individual race, helped by a 52 from Bella Formoza and 56s from Claire Curtin and Genevieve Formoza.
A three-team match on Thursday at Drumlins, Skaneateles shot 214 to beat Cazenovia’s 217 but trail host Manlius Pebble Hill’s 204. Gunderson shot 48 and O’Brien added a 53, with Murphy shooting 54 and Arroyo posting 58.
Westhill prevailed 252-258 over Chittenango in last Monday’s match at Camillus Golf Club. Samantha Burkett’s 60 shared individual honors with the Bears’ Kaelyn Rudd, while Annabella Cecile had a 62, Anna Jackson a 63 and Gracelyn Gray posted 67.
A day later, Bishop Grimes subdued the Warriors 230-251 at the Links at Erie Village. Shooting 57, Burkett only trailed the 50 from the Cobras’ Chloe Dailey, while Cecile had a 59 and Jackson added a 65.
