It is something that has been more rare on area golf courses over the years than a hole in one. In fact, it’s something that has never even been seen before on the links surrounding the Attleboro area — a high school girls golf team.
That is, until this coming week, when the Bishop Feehan High girls golf team will tee off for its initial season Tuesday at Heather Hill Country Club.
The Shamrocks were set to begin play this week, but a combination of weather and illness pushed back their first match to Tuesday in Plainville when they take on Brookline High.
Feehan girls golf head coach Angel MacLeod is understandably excited to get going. MacLeod, who doubles as the boys golf coach in the fall, expects to see her girls go out and put themselves in scoring position each match.
“I’m really excited, it should be a lot of fun,” MacLeod said. “These girls are making history. We’re the only school around (that has a girls golf team) so, hopefully, this is another reason to come to Bishop Feehan.”
The Shamrocks will trot out four girls with Grace Gustafson, Nora Charnley and Carol Pignato serving as the team’s senior captains while Hanley Correia, sister of Feehan boys No. 1 Chad Correia, will add some young depth to the team.
With Charnley, a Bryant University golf commit, and Charnely, a Stonehill College commit, the Shamrocks will reap the benefit of two Division 1 caliber golfers this spring.
MacLeod called it a blessing.
“The two of them, they’re great kids,” MacLeod said. “They’re great leaders and I’m looking forward to having a great season with them. I’m happy for them, they’re so excited, even though we haven’t had our first match yet.”
The third senior captain, Gustafson, adds reliable depth to a strong No. 1 and No. 2, and Correia brings good golf background, along with some distance off the tee.
“She might not be as polished of a player of Carol or Norah, but her leadership skills are great and she’s a great kid,” McLeod said. “She’s someone the other girls can look up to. (Correia) is a good player. She hits it a long way.”
In the years leading up to this spring, the Bishop Feehan boys golf program always had a handful of talented girls golfers, leading MacLeod to think it was worth a shot to put together a girls team.
After getting girls who had competed in the fall approved by waivers from the MIAA, the team was established as a non-conference or non-league team — allowing the squad to play whoever it wanted.
Allowing themselves to build their own schedule, MacLeod sent a wave of emails to teams from last year’s MIAA state tourney and put together a schedule that includes home-and-home matches against Needham, Cardinal Spellman, Dennis-Yarmouth and Weymouth. In total, the Shamrocks are scheduled for 15 matches, pending the current postponed match from this week.
“It has it’s perks,” MacLeod said. “We can play whoever we want and whatever format we want to play. It’s just tough finding opponents to play. We’re playing Dennis-Yarmouth, Notre Dame Worcester, teams that are far away — which is fine. I had to go out and find all those matches. What I did was look at results from sectionals and states from last year, and looked up the athletic director and coach and send emails out.
“Some connections were easier than others. It kind of all fell together, which is nice.”
Even though a CCL title will not be on the line, MacLeod said there are still several high goals entering the season. She believes that winning more than half the Shamrocks’ matches this season is an achievable goal, which will qualify them for sectionals. MacLeod also thinks that states are not out of the picture.
“Obviously, we have big goals and big expectations this season,” MacLeod said. “I want the girls to go out and have fun. We have a pretty good roster. I have three girls that can probably break 80 (strokes) in 18 holes. I think that’s pretty unheard of for girls golf. I’m lucky I have some good players — very lucky.”
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