La Conner golf has healthy outlook despite injuries

Match play with La Conner High can be painful.

Just ask the Friday Harbor Wolverine golf team.

The host Braves defeated Friday Harbor by a cozy 28-shot margin — 180 to 208 — during a key dual match last Tuesday.

And La Conner inflicted its pain, despite playing without top returnee Brendan McLeod, who — ironically enough — was sidelined by injury.

McLeod has been nursing a nagging shoulder ailment, but if he can heal in a timely fashion, has a shot to contend for the State title, according to La Conner head coach Chris McKnight.

“He’s usually our number one golfer,” McKnight said of McLeod, no stranger to the pressure of tournament play and whose versatile game can adapt to most all course conditions.

In McLeod’s absence last week, the Braves turned to Wilson Crawford, another likely State qualifier.

Crawford delivered in a big way, firing a 37 over nine holes and earning individual medalist honors.

Dylan Watkins is another of the Braves’ linksters who can be in the hunt for a post-season berth, provided he continues making the strides evident in his game since the spring campaign began.

On the girls’ side, the Lady Braves have actually benefited from one injury in particular.

That being the ankle prob-lem that shelved Kelley McClung most of basketball season and has thus far kept her out of softball.

While on the mend, McClung has focused on golf — with tremendous results.

The La Conner senior, a Central Washington University volleyball recruit, was just a stroke off the top of the leaderboard last Tuesday.

“She’s playing golf instead of softball because of the ankle injury,” coach McKnight acknowledged last week, “but I’ve been really impressed with her rapid improvement.”

Katie McKnight, the coach’s younger sister, is likewise fast improving in her debut season.

Coming off last Tuesday’s rounds, La Conner golfers were prepping for the annual League Match at Oak Harbor’s Gallery Course.

Much is riding on that event.

“Players have to shoot a qualifying score at this match,” coach McKnight explained, “to make it to the Bi-District Match, where they can qualify for State.

“Brendan, Wilson, and Kelley should all make it to District and State,” he predicted, “and I’m hoping Katie and Dylan also make it with some strong rounds.”

Challenging courses and weather have seen different aspects of each player’s game flourish on a given day, says coach McKnight.

“Their strengths and weak-nesses fluctuate,” he says. “Just because their putting is on par — no pun intended — one day doesn’t mean those putts will drop the next day.”

Fortunately, more have found than missed the cup this year — giving coach McKnight a healthy outlook the rest of the season.

In a related note:

• La Conner has been joined at matches this spring by golfers from Mount Vernon Christian, whose program is in its first year.