With it being more than two-and-a-half weeks since competitive play, Patrick Birns believes that his three Emmaus golfers will be ready to compete on the state’s biggest stage, but he can’t be sure.
“I think they are ready and excited to go out, but it’s so weird because we’ve had over two weeks now to prepare,” said Birns, the Hornets fourth year coach earlier this week during a practice session at Brookside Country Club.
“We had that big excitement of having competed in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and District XI tournaments and now we’ve had a lull with a couple of weeks off from competition. It’s tough to keep the energy and focus of the golfers … a lot more difficult than I thought it would be.”
Despite some of the concerns and the long layoff, Birns and his three golfers – junior Evan Walters V and seniors Kyan Delong and Alexis Teichman – will head to a familiar destination, that being Penn State University site of the 90th Annual PIAA Individual Golf Championships.
A total of 216 student-athletes will be competing on the Blue and White courses with the individual tournament being held on Monday and Tuesday and the team tournament on Wednesday.
Emmaus, which finished the season with a 14-2 overall record and a third-place finish at districts, began the school year, ironically, having competed at the same course at the Happy Valley Invitational on August 7.
Walters V, who was a state qualifier a year ago, has been the team’s top golfer all season long averaging 70 per round and a second consecutive third-place finish at districts where he shot even par 72.
“I think it’s going to be tremendous for him,” said Birns of Walters making a return trip. “I said to him after he qualified that he’s the only District XI golfer returning to states this year so that’s pretty impressive. He’s familiar with course out there and I know he definitely wants to medal.”
DeLong, who is second on the team with a scoring average of 74, will be one of two Hornets making their first trip to states after finishing T-5th at districts.
“I think Kyan has been the one golfer who I’m most proud about,” said Birns. “In the past, he had always gotten in his own way and gotten down on himself but this year I felt towards the end of the season that wasn’t the case.
“He didn’t have the showing that he wanted at EPCs, but winning the district qualifier was huge for him. He’s really matured a lot as a golfer.”
DeLong also can take confidence at states knowing how well he played during the Happy Valley Invitational finishing third overall with a 5-under 67.
For Teichman, who will join her two male counterparts, it will also be her first appearance on the big stage after winning districts in a sudden-death playoff hole against Southern Lehigh’s Lexi Miller.
“Alexis has been huge,” said Birns of Teichman who averages 81. “The one thing she really struggled with last year was putting. Her whole bedroom was littered with different putting tools and stuff like that, and she self-taught herself a couple of things.
“Just picking her brain she’s really become a student of the game and she’s super excited to be there. She won EPCs and districts and has only been playing two years and now she is going to play in college (Gettysburg).”
The starting tee times for the three golfers on Monday will be: DeLong (10 a.m.), Walters V (11 a.m.) and Teichman (11:40 a.m.)
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