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On a sunny Monday morning, the 18-hole golf course at Winchester Country Club can swarm with talent throughout the summer.

While Monday, July 24, was no different, the cast of individuals present was.

Beginning at 8:30 a.m., the George Rogers Clark High School girls’ golf team hosted the Cardinal Classic – or GRC Girls Golf Invitational – featuring over 40 competitors.

“We just want to go out today [and] we want to try to get our feet under us,” said first-year GRC Girls Golf Head Coach Mike Rogers. “We are really excited about the season.”

GRC’s twelve-person girls’ golf team – ranging from a seventh grader to a trio of seniors – participated in tournament play at the country club.

Though Rogers will look toward skill development throughout this season, Monday’s gathering served as an opportunity for many on the young squad – some of whom have never been in tournament play before – to gain experience.

“We are really excited about the season, and we just want to go out and establish our baseline scorers moving forward as we begin the season,” he said.

Though several girls had little experience in tournaments, and Rogers and assistant coach Nevin Goebel looked for the event to teach them how to handle such pressure, others come in with lots of experience.

Among them is Josie Sherman, a junior on the squad and already a seasoned veteran of a few seasons.

“I enjoy meeting all the girls. It has a little bit of competitiveness, but it’s not terrible. It’s kind of something you can have fun with,” Sherman said. “I’ve definitely seen some growth with my shots and my driver. I still have some more growing to do, but I say it’s been pretty good.”

While the team was involved in putting the event together, they were not the only ones.

The staff of the Winchester Country Club – including 38-year PGA member and Kentucky Golf Hall of Famer Bob Baldwin and his son, Robbie – participated in the organizing.

They can also be credited for developing many current – and potential future – athletes.

“[Winchester Country Club] has a junior program out here now, the PGA Junior League, that has over 70 kids involved, and there are a bunch of really, really young kids in there,” Rogers said. “That’s going to be vital to the success of our GRC program.”

Among the day’s competitors, senior Reese Barlow of Pendleton County High School and Maddi Jo Benton of Estill County High School finished tied for second, scoring 75.

However, Benton could not participate in a playoff due to a prior commitment.

First-place honors went to sophomore Athena Singh of Rowan County High School with a -1 score of 70, or one under par.

Roster

Addison Baber, Sr.

Adelynn Anderson, Sr.

Emmie Rose, Sr.

Madelyn Settles, Jr.

Cassie Lowe, Jr.

Reese Patrick, Jr.

Alexis Totty, Jr.

Josie Sherman, Jr.

Cloey Spencer, So.

Karlee Gray, So.

Carson Bowling, 8th

Molly Claire Wasson, 7th