Bolles girls have surged near the top among Class 1A golf teams

Bolles girls golf coach Mike McGrath has discovered one important attribute about the team he will take into the FHSAA postseason next week.

They adjust. They adapt. And during a stellar regular season, they have thrived.

The Bulldogs will play in the District 4-1A Tournament on Oct. 27 at the Golf Club at Fleming Island. The other contenders are Providence, Episcopal, Christ's Church and St. Johns Country Day but they might be chasing the second qualifying spot and at-large berths to the Region 1-1A Tournament Nov. 2 at Eagle Harbor, given Bolles' regular season exploits:

• Bolles won nine of 11 tournaments, a combination of nine-hole dual matches, nine-hole multi-team matches and 18-hole events. They won seven of nine 9-hole events and both 18-hole tournaments.
• Bolles is third among Class 1A teams in Florida on the iWanamaker rankings and fourth in the state in all classifications. The next highest-ranked team on the First Coast, statewide, is Beachside at No. 16.
• Four of the Bulldogs' starting five for the postseason are among the top 30 individually: senior Chloe McGrath (fourth), senior Grace Breffitt (18th), eighth-grader Chloe Pierce (22nd) and sophomore Riley Powell (30th).

McGrath said the results are what he expected when his team played its first match on Aug. 26 at Glen Kernan, and nipped Beachside by one shot ― without Breffitt, who was playing in a junior tournament.

"Everything I've asked of them, from an individual standpoint and how they've been leaders for the rest of the team, they've done," McGrath said.

Bolles girls work on weaknesses

But what impresses McGrath most are the things he doesn't have to ask them.

"When they have results that are a little bit below what they expected, they go to work on what went wrong before their next start, and they come back better," he said. "And they're very good at taking that one bad hole or one bad stretch during a round and fighting back. It happens in 18-hole matches and it happens in 9-hole matches. They never give up trying to put their best score up."

Bolles depth has enabled McGrath to build for the future while at the same time winning in the present. Seniors McGrath and Breffitt have been given time to pursue junior and amateur events and he said he also adjusts for the rigorous academics at Bolles. None of the players are home-schooled or take virtual classes.

"They're still in a traditional academic setting of coming to school and going to classes," he said. "We have to adjust for that at times, but our younger players have responded very well."

When eighth-grader Bani Jain posted an even-par 36 at Deercreek on Oct. 20 to win a nine-hole match against Fernandina Beach, she became the fourth medalist for the Bulldogs this season. She was also the team's fifth player to post a score of par or lower, accomplished 13 times this season.

McGrath also said he can't quantify the senior leadership provided by co-captains McGrath (who is headed for William & Mary next year) and Breffitt. The team has honed its competitive edge with lively intraquad matches in which McGrath and Breffitt are opposing captains, and they are also "big sisters" to the players on their teams.

"They really look out for the younger girls," McGrath said.

And Class 1A teams from the district to the state level are looking out for Bolles. It might be that kind of year.

Boys District previews

District 2-3A, Oct. 27, Cimarrone Golf Club, St. Johns

Outlook: Hands-down, the strongest district in Class 3A, with six teams among the top 50 on the iWanamaker team rankings and three among the top 10, No. 1 Ponte Vedra, No. 6 Tocoi Creek and No. 7 Beachside. The district also has the top four players in Class 3A individually: No. 1 Jaspreet Kondal of Beachside, No. 2 Maxwell Morgan of Ponte Vedra, No. 3, Jake Mason of Ponte Vedra and No. 4 Ambrose Kinnare of Tocoi Creek. Creekside (23rd-ranked), Nease (33th) and Fletcher (44th) could play spoilers.

District 2-2A, Oct. 27, Wakulla Sands Golf Club, Crawfordville

Outlook: Top-50 players Ty Hurst and Dawson Wooley should lead 14th-ranked Suwannee to the team title, with Lake City Columbia having a puncher's chance.

District 3-2A, Oct. 26, Fernandina Beach Golf Club

Outlook: The host Pirates, ranked 21st in the state among 2A teams and led by 32nd-ranked Colson Hale, look like the favorites to win. West Nassau, behind senior Will Wiggins, could contend.

District 4-2A, Oct. 28, Palatka Golf Club

Outlook: Bishop Kenny is the highest-ranked team in the district at 26th, led by freshman Jay Huntley, the 19th-ranked individual. Fleming Island, in a rebuilding year, has improved as the season has progressed and has climbed to 33rd. But watch out for senior-dominated Wolfson, which easily won the Gateway Conference behind Michael Rattigan (67 at Blue Sky).

District 3-1A, Oct. 27, Golden Eagle Country Club, Tallahassee

Outlook: Tallahassee Maclay is the class of the district, followed by Mayo Lafayette and Aucilla Christian. Bradford County and Union County will be hard-pressed to make a dent.

District 4-1A, Oct. 26, Golf Club of Fleming Island

Outlook: Ninth-ranked Providence is the clear favorite, behind 10th-ranked individual Jack Cole and No. 13 Alexander Stewart. St. Johns Country Day, behind former Fleming Island starter William McCready, and Beckham and Fletcher Cummings; and Episcopal, led by Aubrey Fellows, Brody and Dylan Tran, will make a push.

District 5-1A, Oct. 27, Mark Bostick Golf Course, Gainesville

Outlook: Keystone Heights and St. Joseph Academy may be on the outside looking in with Oak Hall and P.K. Yonge fighting out on their home course.

Girls district previews

District 2-3A, Oct. 26, Eagle Landing, Orange Park

Outlook: It all depends on which team has a good putting day with the wide fairways of Eagle Landing beckoning. This will be a shootout, with five teams ranked among the top in Class 3A, No. 5 Beachside, No. 9 Ponte Vedra, No. 10 Nease, No. 12 Creekside and No. 14 Bartram Trail. Eight individuals, led by Beachside freshman Lily Wachter at No. 7, are ranked among the top 50 in Class 3A.

District 2-2A, Oct. 27, Quail Heights Golf Club, Lake City

Outlook: Rayna Hardin and Lake City Columbia should cruise, with a possible challenge from Baker Country.

District 3-2A, Oct. 26, Fernandina Beach Golf Club

Outlook:Gateway Conference champion Stanton, 14th in the latest 2A rankings, has momentum and depth, led by Gateway individual champion Lily Chiang, ranked third in the state. Never discount the host Pirates, ranked 27th, and 10th-ranked individual Elle Reisner.

District 4-2A, Oct. 27, Palatka Golf Club

Outlook: Fleming Island and sophomore Sophia Moody, the top-ranked individual in Class 2A, will have to battle the tight Palatka layout and challenges from Wolfson and Bishop Kenny. The Golden Eagles have moved up to 13th among Class 2A teams.

District 3-1A, Oct. 27, Golden Eagle Country Club, Tallahassee

Outlook: Tallahassee Maclay will be a tough out on its home course, with Bradford County and Union County struggling this year. Florida High, Aucilla Christian and St. John Paul are also contenders.

District 4-1A, Oct. 27, Golf Club of Fleming Island

Outlook: It's difficult to see a path past Bolles for contenders Providence, Episcopal, Christ's Church and St. Johns Country Day.

District 5-1A, Oct. 26, Chiefland Country Club

Outlook: Wide open, with Oak Hall, Chiefland, Keystone Heights, Newberry and Ocala Redeemer in the mix.

FHSAA regional tournaments

Boys

• Region 1-3A, Nov. 2, Golf Club at Cypress Head, Port Orange.
• Region 1-2A, Nov. 2, Fort Walton Beach Golf Club.
• Region 1-1A, Nov. 3, King & Bear, St. Augustine.
• Region 2-1A, Nov. 2, Orange Country National.

Girls

• Region 1-3A, Hawkstone Country Club, Gainesville.
• Region 1-2A, Quail Heights Country Club, Lake City.
• Region 1-1A, Eagle Harbor Golf Club, Orange Park.
• Region 2-1A, Cocoa Beach Country Club.

FHSAA state tournaments

At Mission Inn Resort, Howey-in-the-Hills

• Class 2A, Nov. 10-11
• Class 3A, Nov. 13-14
• Class 1A, Nov. 17-18

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Bolles girls have surged near the top among Class 1A golf teams