After a rigorous season of play, and specifically after a successful round of play at the Carolina Country Club at Upper State this past Tuesday, the Gaffney Girls Golf team is headed to state for the first time in history. To advance to upper-state, the girls had to beat Spartanburg High at region, and to advance to state, the girls had to place in the top eight at Upper State. The scores from Upper State are as follows: Ciara Mace – 81 ; Maddy Key – 84 ; Morgan Barnes – 95 ; Marigrace Ellis – 93. Marigrace, being just in eighth grade, has climbed to the top four of the team, shooting her best round at Upper State. The girls went through a lot of improvement over the course of the season, and their hard work has finally paid off. Gaffney Girls Golf placed fourth out of fifteen teams in the Upper State competition, being just five points under Dorman in third.

When asked about how she feels about going to state, team leader and top player Ciara Mace tells us that “I’m very excited, and I’m very happy that we’re finally going.” She also tells us that a golfer must “have a good mindset,” and that “golf is a mental game.” Mace even tells us that she has not only worked very hard for this, but that she has even changed her habitual swing for the sake of progression over the course of the season. She hopes to make All-State, which means that she must score as low as in the seventies at State.

The girls couldn’t be more excited than to be at this point. Win or lose, and regardless of where they place, they are thankful to have come so far individually and as a team. Gaffney Girls Golf takes on State at Lexington Country Club this Monday and Tuesday, October 23rd and 24th. Gaffney High School wishes them the best of luck!