Local Sports

GHS Girls Golf Team Wins Jefferson County Tournament

The Gardendale High School Girls Golf Team won the Jefferson County Tournament this week at Woodward Golf Club in Bessemer.

The GHS team was led by Avery Goolsby, Sophia Murphy and Lena Jones.

Photo by Jere Bensko

The championship came down to edging Shades Valley and the Rockets won with a winning total of 372.

GHS Golf Coach, Christen Landrum, was pleased with her team and how they competed and have matured throughout the season. “I am so proud of all three girls. I really enjoy coaching them. They make my job so easy, and I really love being on the course with them. We have a lot of fun.”

Lena Jones, a junior, earned the top individual award at the tournament and All-County honors. Coach Landrum noted that Jones “is a wonderful student in the classroom and a great athlete. She always tries very hard. She was very deserving of the individual winner award.”

Sophia Murphy, a junior, also made All-County and Landrum said that she has next level potential, while adding that “she has improved drastically since she was a freshman. She is very intentional with her game, and really puts her mind to it. If she sees something wrong with her swing, she does everything she can to fix it. She won All-County this year and won the individual award in 2021. She has the potential to play at a collegiate level.”

Avery Goolsby is the youngest member of this championship team and as a sophomore has the potential to help the Rockets to another championship. Landrum noted that “this is her first year to play on the high school team. She was on the girls team in middle school. She has been practicing a lot this season and has made improvements. She has a beautiful swing. I expect her to make significant strides before she graduates. I am very happy she is on the team.”

With a strong group of 7th graders destined for the team after leaving the middle school team, Coach Landrum expects GHS Girls Golf to continue to become even stronger as a program over the next several seasons.