By Jim Irish
Photos by Jim Irish
Carly Sherman’s initial experience at the Class 5A girls state golf tournament was replete with highs and lows.
The Bastrop High School sophomore shot a satisfying 3-over par 75 in the first round on White Wing Golf Course in Georgetown on Monday.
On an overcast Tuesday with occasional drizzle, Sherman followed that with a 6-over par 78 to finish tied for 18th place at 153.
“I enjoyed it,” Sherman said about her foray at the state’s most competitive tournament against top-flight competition.
Aside from a penalty shot after a drive into a no-play zone on the par-4 7th hole on Monday, Sherman was consistent with her long and short game.
“My first round was really fun,” she said.
The second round wasn’t as much fun. After starting with two pars on the 10th and 11th holes, Sherman had three consecutive bogeys on the 14th, 15th, and 16th. She three-putted those holes, which is a golfer’s nightmare.
“My second round was really frustrating,” said Sherman, wearing a white Luluemon skirt, a gray polo shirt emblazoned with Bastrop, and a blue cap. “My putting was really bad, and I made some poor club decisions.”
In response to the putting, Sherman’s father, John, said golfers “drive for show, putt for dough.”
On the back side, she had double bogeys on the 5th and 7th holes.
On the par-4 5th, she shanked her second shot into the no-play zone and received a penalty. She did not know what caused the errant shot other than to say “just brain fart.”
Sherman and her playing partners — Aashna Patel of Frisco Independence and Kinley Pessel of Hallsville — all struck their tee shots right into the no-play zone on the 7th hole. For Sherman, it was a repeat shot of the first round.
“It was an aggressive shot that didn’t pay off,” she said about the tee shot with her driver.
Sherman did not meet her expectations on some holes in the second round.
"My ball striking was not as good. I hit a decent amount of fairways, but I missed a lot of greens."
-- Carly Sherman about her second round
“My ball striking was not as good,” Sherman said. “I hit a decent amount of fairways, but I missed a lot of greens.”
On the positive side, she birdied the par-4 13th and the par-3 3rd with 8-foot and 12-foot putts, respectively.
She recovered to par the final two holes. On the last at the 9th, she was up and down despite hitting into tall grass next to the green. She used a 58-degree wedge to leave a short putt for the par.
“It was satisfying, definitely satisfying,” she said about the chip shot.
Only a 16-year-old sophomore, Sherman has two more seasons to gain experience.
“I can only go up,” she said.
Her father said she showed “poise” in the second round despite some difficult moments.
“She struggled, but she never lost control of her emotions,” he said. “The takeaway for me is less about score and more about how you handle yourself on the course when you’re frustrated. She got an A+.”
"I can only go up."
-- Sherman on the future at state
Patel shot 152, while Pessel finished at 157.
Grapevine's Chloe Sirkin captured first place with a 2-under par 142.
Sherman is the second consecutive Bastrop High School golfer to compete in the girls state tournament. Last year, Lindsey Hastings, currently on the roster at Eastern Illinois University, finished 49th at 173.
Jim Irish is a freelance writer in Bastrop, Texas