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Van Ettens Unstoppable In Mustangs' Biggest Win

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By BART O'CONNELL

Tribune correspondent

Published: September 25, 2008

TRINITY - After a pair of dandy approach shots to the seventh green on Heritage Springs' front nine, the first to greet Mitchell's Megan and Rebecca Van Etten as they walked up the fairway was a medium-sized alligator sunning itself on the bank of a small lake to their right.

A Zephyrhills assistant coach noticed the reptile and immediately asked the girls on her team to move away. Then she saw the Van Ettens, walking oh so close to it, and warned them again to be careful.

But as Megan and Rebecca strolled by the gator with their bags on their backs, still smiling, it waddled back into the lake.

It seems nothing is going to get in this duo's way this season.

Behind a 40 from Megan and a 41 from Rebecca, the Mustangs (9-0) chomped away at their only competitors in the Sunshine Athletic Conference thus far, beating the previously 7-0 Bulldogs by 50 strokes (178-228) on a windy Tuesday afternoon.

"This was our closest match all season, I believe," Mitchell coach Joe Castellano said. "I know the girls from Zephyrhills are better than their scores indicate. The wind did a number on them today."

The Van Ettens were not immune to the tough conditions, which required precise shotmaking into the greens. After a perfect drive on the first, Megan, a junior, uncharacteristically hit back-to-back approach shots out of bounds to the right, taking quadruple-bogey 8 to open the round. Rebecca, a freshman, struggled with the putter, which was also affected by the wind.

Ultimately, the difference was a 15-foot birdie putt at No. 9 by Megan, who hit seven greens in regulation and shot 1 over on her last eight holes.

"They challenge each other," Castellano said of the Van Ettens, who have been the top two players in all of their matches thus far. "That's just the mental toughness. It's easy to get down after a hole, but what the whole team is learning is that you can't focus on one hole. You can't dwell on it."
Megan is averaging slightly over par this season, between 36 and 37 for nine holes, Castellano said, adding Rebecca is averaging between 38 and 39. But Rebecca has beaten Megan "two times, maybe three" in her first prep season, including a season-best 2 under par in one of their early matches.

The two get along well while playing together, are very talkative, and from a distance, appear to give each other pointers. It also doesn't hurt to have their father, Heritage Springs golf director Roger Van Etten, helping them with their swings on the range before matches and following in a cart during them.

Only two other players, Mitchell's Nina Argento (48) and Victoria Kinney (49), managed to break 50 on the day. Zephyrhills was led by Sarah Baniszewski (52) and Laurren McLeod (56).

The Mustangs do not have another match until the Sunshine Athletic Conference Tournament, with two wins by forfeit likely to end their regular season. Their dual match winning streak is 11 since Wesley Chapel beat them last season, but the Wildcats are one of those teams forfeiting to Mitchell because of a lack of players.

Correspondent Bart O'Connell can be reached at tampasport@gmail.com.

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