Lady Jags golf team confident heading into home stretch

Just two years ago, the Spain Park High School girls golf team captured its second state title in program history. Marilyn Steed and Caroline McCabe had a front row seat. 

During that run to the 2017 Class 7A title, the Lady Jags boasted a top three of future college golfers. Jordan Susce fired a two-day total of 147, Caroline Waldrop went for 148, and MK Horton shot 150. Susce is now at Troy, Waldrop at Western Kentucky and Horton at Samford. 

Those top three scores counted at the state tournament, but Steed played as the No. 4 and shot 173 as a freshman.

“It was really cool,” Steed said. “It was a good experience. The three older girls were good, which was fun being able to look up to them and see how they did it.”

Steed, a junior, is now the Lady Jags’ top player. McCabe played during that 2017 season as a sophomore and is now Spain Park’s No. 2 player as a senior. The duo is trying to use that experience to help lead the team back to the state tournament, with an eye on the ultimate prize.

“This is what you want,” coach Kelly Holland said of the two leaders. “You want players that have been there and know what it takes to get to the place where you want to be. To have two like that, it’s great leadership. They know what it takes.”

Steed and McCabe are confident in their abilities when it comes to the pressure-packed postseason events. They have been there and done that. They, along with their coach, are primarily focused on building up their younger teammates to be ready for that stage. 

Freshman Taylor Trible played as the Lady Jags’ fourth golfer at state last spring and has improved immensely. Haley Lockhart, another freshman, has played the No. 4 spot much of this season, with sophomores Gabby Saia and Manasa Chintala also competing for Spain Park.

“What I tell them before every tournament — play with confidence,” Holland said. “If you step up to the ball to make a shot, make sure you have confidence in the shot you’re going to make. If you don’t, then rethink it.”

Another emphasis for Steed and McCabe is the emphasis on creating a team culture despite playing an individual sport.

“Even though it’s not a team sport, I feel like we need to have a team bond,” McCabe said. “That’s always been a conversation we’ve had in past years. Even though it’s not football or soccer where you play as a team, you’re still playing as a team in an individual sport. Having a team bond helps us achieve.”

Steed concurred. “It’s all about the team,” she said.

The Lady Jags will aim to finish strong, with the section tournament set for April 30 at Highland Park and the sub-state tournament the following week at Hampton Cove. Should they advance, the 7A state tournament will be in Prattville May 12-13.

AIMING TO GET NOTICED

Steed often stacks up her abilities with the best of the best throughout the state, region and country. She has established herself as one of the top female golfers in her class in the state of Alabama, but she may not get the recognition her play warrants.

She plays many Southeastern Junior Golf Tour and the American Junior Golf Association events and is on the road so often that she takes her high school courses online.

While her scores are solid, she feels that she’s still at a slight disadvantage in terms of getting noticed by college coaches. Steed played in her first organized golf tournament less than three years ago, way later than many of her peers, who have been playing nearly as long as they could walk.

Steed spent most of her athletic attention in middle school on volleyball before making the switch.

“Once I decided to make that my priority and focus on golf, I just worked really hard,” Steed said. “I obviously got better but I really haven’t had the exposure. I feel like most girls growing up in golf, they’ve been doing it forever and everyone knows them.”

McCabe said Steed was a really good volleyball player, but her rapid growth in just a few years on the golf course has been a sight to behold.

“It’s been really cool,” McCabe said. “Going from just kind of being there freshman year to beating me this year and even last year. It’s been really interesting, because we played middle school golf together. It’s been really interesting to watch her play from middle school until this year and see her grow.”

Steed continually improved her scores through the first half of the school season, making a run at state low medalist seem like a realistic possibility. Her switch to a new putter in February paid immediate dividends, complementing her strength off the tee box.

She’s not shy about her goals, either.

“I’m hoping to peak at the right time. I have some big events this summer, so my goal is to win state as a team and individual and beat out everyone in our class, as well as playing really well in the summer events,” Steed said.