Photo by Sarah Finnegan.
Spain Park's Caroline Waldrop is shown at last year's state tournament at RTJ Grand National in Auburn. Waldrop is attempting to lead the Jags to another state championship in 2018.
Last year’s team broke the mold for Kelly Holland.
Holland is accustomed to her Spain Park High School girls golf teams starting slow and picking up steam as the season nears its end.
But entering the 2017 season, the Jags knew they had one of the top teams in the state and played like it all season long. The season culminated in a six-stroke victory over rival Hoover in the state tournament.
The team was deep and featured three future Division I golfers in Mary Kate Horton (Samford), Jordan Susce (Louisville) and Caroline Waldrop (WKU).
“It was amazing to watch,” said Holland, Spain Park’s coach. “That’s some of the most fun I’ve ever had but some of the most stress also.”
Holland said that the state title was “huge” for the state of the program.
“I think we had the best team in the state,” she said. “To win a state championship even when you’re the best team in the state is awful hard. When you have those opportunities when you know you can win, you have to, because those don’t come around all the time.”
This season has started much like a typical Spain Park season. With Susce and Horton playing in college now, it’s become Waldrop’s ship to steer. Waldrop admitted that she has yet to play her best round of golf, noting that she has finished behind Auburn’s Elisabeth Preus several times this season.
But she’s confident that her time will come as the season winds down. She has taken on the role of senior leader, encouraging returning contributors Marilyn Steed and Caroline McCabe and teaching a group of younger players that will become the future of the program.
“This year, it’s kind of started like it usually starts; a little slow, but we’re always in the picture, always in the hunt,” Holland said. “Now, we’re getting to the point in our season where everybody just starts focusing and really starts zoning in and the games get better. That’s going to be really vital to us making a run.”
Waldrop said she cries at the end of each season, but she hopes this year’s tears are happy tears at the conclusion of another successful state tournament run. Does she believe that’s a possibility?
“I think so,” she said.
There’s certainly reason to believe the Jags will be in contention in the state tournament May 14-15 in Muscle Shoals.. The girls began their season as co-champs at the Auburn Invitational. They were also co-champs at the Hoover March Madness tournament following a day two charge. In early April, they took home the title at the Athens Invitational.
Spain Park boys offto strong start
After not qualifying for the state tournament last spring, the Spain Park boys golf team is off to a strong start in 2018.
Through April 6, the Jags had already won five tournaments. Spain Park won the Fairhope Invitational, the Bradley Johnson Memorial tournament, the Warrior Invitational, the West Alabama Classic and were co-champs at the Glencoe Invitational. They finished second at the Joe King Memorial tournament.
The Jags are led by second-year coach Keat Litton. The state tournament for the boys is set for May 14-15 in Muscle Shoals.
