After a promising debut season that saw rapid improvement, the Philomath High School girls golf program is building on that momentum as it heads into year two with a six-player roster led by a pair of experienced seniors.
Shaylee May and Isabelle Muir return as the Warriors’ top two players after competing through the offseason to sharpen their games. Coach Logan Martin said the work has already paid dividends.
“We have two returning players who were really solid last year and played through the offseason to hone their skills and it’s already showing,” Martin said. “I’m excited to see them actually get out there as my 1 and 2 seeds this year and compete.”
Beyond their play, May and Muir have stepped into leadership roles, helping newer teammates navigate the nuances of tournament competition.
“Belle and Shay are bringing experience to the team and they’re able to kind of coach the other players through what to expect with tournaments — some of the rules and things like that,” Martin said. “Having that experience is just invaluable and I already see them stepping into more of a leadership role.”
Two other seniors, Marlee Quetschke and Avery Smith, join them on the roster along with junior Annaleise Brown and sophomore Hayden Rowley.
Martin has been particularly encouraged by the early development of Brown and Smith, citing their natural athleticism as a strong foundation for the sport.
“Whenever you have a natural athlete with something like golf, anyone who understands how their body works, how to rotate, how to shift power, all of those kinds of things, if you put a club in their hand, within a matter of a few weeks, they’re hitting the ball where they want to,” Martin said. “Then we also have a couple of unknowns that are on the team and have come in and really shown that they’re ready to dive into the game and develop their skills.”
The program’s philosophy centers on individual growth within a team framework.
“With the game of golf, you’re always focused on development,” Martin said. “It’s such an individual sport where you’re just learning to kind of grow and hone in your own skillset, as well as when we’re out there in a tournament competing for a team score.”
That development model produced tangible results in year one. Philomath finished last in its opening tournament but climbed to third place by districts — one spot short of qualifying for state.
“So just amazing growth through the year and we’re looking to kind of build on that momentum and see where we end up at the end of the year,” Martin said.
The Warriors were scheduled to open the season March 18 with a scramble at Trysting Tree Golf Course, but the event was canceled after the course’s groundskeepers aerated the greens at the last minute. Martin said the format had generated buzz among coaches in the district.
“I lost out on being able to host a tournament — we called around to see if we could host it somewhere else but it didn’t work out,” he said. “But maybe next year we can do that same thing because the coaches in the district were excited about kicking off with a tournament where the teams get to play together and get to know each other before the season really jumps in.”
Philomath is now set to open at the Cascade Classic in Salem on Monday. The schedule also includes stops at McNary Golf Club in Keizer, Mallard Creek Golf Course in Lebanon, Santiam Golf Club in Aumsville, Salishan Golf Links on the coast at Gleneden Beach and Diamond Woods Golf Club in Monroe.
The district tournament is scheduled for May 4 at Mallard Creek, with the 4A/3A/2A/1A state championships set for May 18-19 at Eagle Crest Resort in Redmond.