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Not Much Went Wrong For West

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By ADAM ADKINS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 20, 2008

PLANT CITY - There wasn't much that went wrong for Durant's Amy West on the golf course this season. The exception was that bit of trouble on the eighth hole at The Club at Eaglebrooke in Lakeland during the first round of the Class 2A state tournament.

After watching her tee shot go into the water and hitting her approach as the rain began to pour down, a gust of wind lifted West's umbrella away from her bag. West was unable to catch it as it danced across the fairway and saw it fly into the lake, float to the middle and sink to the bottom.

"That was crazy. I was sort of mad," West said after the series of events. Then again, that was arguably the worst the Durant junior had to deal with.

The rest of West's season went very well. It included an individual district title, a region runner-up finish and a 16th-place finish at the state tournament, all of which led to her being named The Tribune's 2008 Hillsborough County Girls Golf Athlete of the Year.

It was about midway through the season that West began to stand out among the crowd. She got very hot in the weeks leading up to the postseason, including a stretch of three rounds leading up to the district tournament that she played a combined 5 under.

What was even more impressive was that West turned it on when the Cougars needed it most. Durant's other top player, Heather Wengyn, was suffering from knee and wrist injuries and was unable to play, meaning West was forced to shoulder the load for her team. And she rose to the challenge.

West fired a 4-under 68 to take medalist honors at the 2A-District 11 tournament at Walden Lake, a round that helped carry her team to a third-place finish and a region tournament berth.

At the 2A-Region 4 tournament at Heritage Isles, West continued her hot play and finished with a 1-over 73, a round that gave her runner-up honors to Wharton's Shena Yang and qualified her for the state tournament as an individual.

At state, West put together rounds of 77 and 78 while battling tough conditions on both days, including those final two holes on Day 1 of the tournament when she was forced to play in a downpour after losing her umbrella. She still finished tied for 16th, which was not only a huge improvement from 2006, when she finished tied for 53rd, but also the second-highest finish among county players.

In the end, there wasn't much for West to be mad about, but there was plenty to be proud about.
GIRLS GOLF FIRST TEAM

Amy West, Durant, Jr.
Shena Yang, Wharton, Jr.

Kim Carpenter, Berk. Prep, Jr.

Kelsey Gibson, King, So.

Alex Milan, Sickles, Fr.

Julie Rolfe, East Bay, Sr.

Coach of the Year: Tom Shea, Berkeley Prep

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