Top Rock Bridge, Hickman golfers enjoy tight match
COLUMBIA — The Hickman and Rock Bridge girls golf teams showed they know how to have fun with their rivalry Tuesday at L.A. Nickel Golf Course.
In the teams' first match of the season, No. 1 golfers, Kewpies junior Shelby Harper and Bruins senior Meghan Mueller, played against each other in the same pairing for the first time in their careers. After the round, both sounded as if they had just finished a round with her best friend rather than her most bitter rival.
“She’s a great girl, a really good golfer,” Mueller said. “We had fun.”
Mueller and Harper pushed one another throughout the round. After Mueller hit a nice approach that landed in the middle of the green on the fourth hole, Harper responded by chipping in from right off the putting surface.
“This was my first time playing with her (Mueller),” Harper said. “She has a lot of talent and make me play better.”
The winner of the nine-hole match was determined by adding the lowest four varsity scores. Rock Bridge, helped by Mueller’s 43, beat Hickman 173 to 182. Harper won the personal battle with Mueller, shooting a 42.
Both golfers said they are looking to make this season special. Both went to state last year and have set goals aiming to place higher at the end of the 2009 campaign.
The similarities don’t end with their previous accomplishments on the course. Even though they each represent the top talent on their teams, Mueller and Harper work as hard as anybody. When their round was completed, they were out working on their short games at the putting green while the majority of their teammates were cooling off after the match.
Each one wants to be ready for their next encounter.
“These two girls are competitive and want to beat each other,” Hickman coach Clark Swisher said. “That’s great.”