Toting her heavy golf bag packed with drivers, woods, irons, and putters slung on her back, junior Kailey Fender walks to the green after another great shot on hole nine. She sports her golf shoes, gloves, and wildcat-logo visor in her navy, gray, and carolina blue uniform as she scores for our Wildcat team.

“We had a lot of screwups since no one knew what to do. Like for me, I hit the ball on the wrong fairway because I didn’t know. So, I thought I hit a perfect shot, but obviously it wasn’t. Hopefully, all those mistakes will be fixed by state,” junior Kade Keith said.

The Wampus Cat Invitational took place September 16 and 17. The team left early Friday morning to play a full 18 holes later that day at Nutter’s Chapel. They rested up that night after a steak dinner, and played another 18 holes the next day, finishing the tournament at Centennial Valley Country Club. Girls placed third and boys placed fifth. The Wildcat golfers were able to play through and experience Centennial Valley Country Club, the course where boys’ state tournament will be hosted, and fit in 36 holes before the end of the season.

Friday night, the golfers stayed in a hotel. They bonded, rested up, and did their laundry.

“I am the only person who knows how to do laundry. So, we had a laundry room party in the hotel where we all sat around and talked and threw goldfish at each other. It was a fun time,” senior Samantha Morkavitch said.

The team, both girls and boys, was able to bond on this weekend trip as the players golfed during the day and team-bonded at night. Coach Tim Aynes treated the team to a steak dinner after a long day on the course. Staying in a hotel, even for one night, the team and the coach knew bonding was bound to happen, as it did in the laundry room of the hotel.

“We got to bond as a team, hang out all weekend, and Coach treated us to Outback, and I got to hold a baby pig in the parking lot of Tractor Supply,” Fender said.

The girls shared a story about a rival team’s golfer losing her brand new iPhone 7 in the pond at the course while playing. The golfer jumped in after her phone and was not able to save it. The girls shared the situation during the long bus rides and team meals.

After 36 long holes and various bonding experiences, the Wildcats were proud of their performance and progress they made at the tournament. They hope to critique their mistakes and come back better than ever at the state tournament the week of September 26 in North Little Rock for the girls and the week of October 3rd in Conway for the boys.