As her teammates and family tried to track down Williston High senior Ashley Beard, word trickled through that she was back at the driving range. A disappointing round of 81 had left her with little chance of pursuing individual medalist honors and a single thought in her head: more practice must be needed.
"Her work ethic is excellent, she believes in practice," Coyotes coach Dennis Healy said.
Beard bounced back to a 76 on the second day, her two-day total earning her a tie for fourth and her second consecutive all-state award.
She finished a memorable high school career with three All-WDA awards, two medalist wins and three straight team MVP awards. Now the question becomes how far her drive and her drives can take her. "Wherever she goes, athletically and academically, she's going to succeed," Healy said.
Beard hasn't committed yet, but she plans to begin touring colleges next week. Her hope is to be offered a scholarship to play at a top golf program.
"I want to play D-I," she said. "That's a dream."
Her plans with golf don't stop there. She's been playing since she was 10, and she plans on playing for awhile.
"It makes up a lot of your personality, I put in a lot of time," Beard said. "You have to be out there."
Beard's focus is unrelenting. In the summer, she seeks tournaments to put herself against top competition. On the course, few high school players spend as much time thinking about putts or planning shots.
Miranda Zavalney, the junior who tied for 13th at state and will be asked to step into a lead role on the team with Beard gone, had more to say about her friend's personality than her golf game, noting she's always fun to play and practice with.
Healy says the team will not try to replace Beard's scoring in one player, but to have everyone shave several shots off their average score.
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