FREELAND, MI – After a golf meet at Emerald Golf Course in St. Johns, Averie Pumford returned home with some good news and bad news.
The good news was that she set a Freeland girls golf record with a 74. The bad news was that her sister, Olivia Pumford, held the old record at 75. Less than a week later, Averie Pumford bettered her own record with a 71 at Pine River Country Club in Alma.
“I was pretty happy, and my sister was happy for me too,” Averie Pumford said. “Although, we’re pretty competitive, so maybe she was just happy on the outside. I’m sure a part of her wanted to keep the record.
“We golf a lot as a family, with my dad (Matt Pumford). My dad beats all of us, but the rest of us are pretty even, and we’re all pretty competitive.”
Pumford finished off her Tri-Valley Conference season Wednesday at Twin Oaks Golf Course in Freeland the fourth and final TVC Jamboree, claiming medalist honors for the fourth time. She finished with a 78, beating out Frankenmuth’s Molly Pergram’s 87.
“When I shot the 71, I was on a roll,” Pumford said. “Everything was working. I hit a bunch of birdies. This has been my best year golfing.”
Last season, Pumford won medalist honors at the regional tournament and finished fifth in the Division 3 state met at Forest Akers West in East Lansing, carding a 79 on the first 18 and an 83 on the second day.
She spent the summer golfing with her dad, who played at Michigan State and is the assistant coach at Saginaw Valley State University. Pumford also joined the Calloway Meijer Summer Tour, playing in the 16-18 age division.
“I’m only 15, but I wanted to play from the longer tees,” Pumford said. “I did OK. But I wanted to compete with the older players, who play from the teens in the back. I know I’m pretty long off the tee, so I wanted that challenge.”
Pumford estimates her average drive is 250 yards.
“Right now, I need to improve my putting,” Pumford said. “I’m giving up too many putts. I’m 3-putting when there should have never been 3-putts. It’s something I’m working on.”
Byrne expects to see the improvement. He’s already seen some changes from Pumford’s freshman season.
“The biggest change is her mentality, not letting things get out of hand on the course,” Byrne said. “That was never really a problem last year, but you can see the maturity that she gained over the year.
“She’s only a sophomore and only 15, but she’s a captain and a leader. She’s humble, but she knows she’s good. The great thing is that she does a great job of working with the other golfers, giving them tips and helping them. She knows she has a lot of experience and is willing to help even the older golfers with things that she’s learned.”
Freeland heads to the Division 3 regional Tuesday at Wheatfield Valley Golf Course in Williamston, with the top three teams and top three individuals not on the top three teams qualifying for the state tournament Oct. 14-15 at Forest Akers East in East Lansing.
The Tri-Valley Conference named its all-conference team after Wednesday’s final jamboree, with Pumford finishing first in the TVC 8 and leading Freeland to the team title. St. Louis won the TVC 10 championship with Josie Schrot finishing as the top golfer.
Tri-Valley Conference 8
Team Standings
Freeland 1493
Frankenmuth 1547
Alma 1725
Bay City John Glenn 1787
Essexville Garber Incomplete
TVC 8 All-Conference Team
First Team
Averie Pumford - Freeland
Zoey Markey - Freeland
Molly Pergram - Frankenmuth
Ava Vogt - Alma
Evelyn Hill - Frankenmuth
Anna Billot - Frankenmuth
Second Team
Kennedy Crandall - Frankenmuth
Kiera Inda - Bay CIty John Glenn
Mylie Jacob - Frankenmuth
Kaleigh Johnston - Alma
Reese Conley - Freeland
Quinn Kowalcyzk - Bay City John Glenn
Tri-Valley Conference 10
Team Standings
St. Louis 1652
Ithaca 1706
Standish-Sterling 1927
Saginaw Valley Lutheran 1988
TVC 10 All-Conference Teams
First Team
Josie Schrot - St. Louis
Ivy Davenport - Ithaca
Natalie Hoyt - St. Louis
Lakyn Zimmerman - Ithaca
Olivia Roper - Standish - Sterling
Emma Worthy - St. Louis
Second Team
Elizabeth Hudson - Ithaca
Breonna Becker - Ithaca
Madison Carmen - Ithaca
Nicole Hollabaugh - Ithaca
Christina Smith - Saginaw Valley Lutheran
Zoey Sesler - Standish-Sterling
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