FARMINGTON, Minn. -- Farmington girls golf is the place to be, even if you are new to the game. The Tigers have about 45 athletes on their spring squad. While the fresh faces are learning the game, the veterans are looking to contend at section time.

Junior Scarlett Hedrick says recruiting has paid dividends, "Telling them how good our team and program has been. So, it's been influencing them to join the team.

"We have about 20 girls that have never golfed before. And a fun fact is we have two foreign exchange students…We have three coaches on the team that help out the developmental girls."

She says it's fun for the upperclassmen to assist the new players, "I get to teach them. They get to be on a program, and they get to know what it feels like to be on a team. Even if it's an individual sport, we make it team-based as much as we can by getting to know them. We do sisterhood groups, so the captains get paired up with these younger girls."

Hedrick is a third-year captain and takes pride in teaching players how to become leaders and uses feedback from her teammates to improve their overall experience.

FHS does not have a senior on the roster, but coach Andrew Paul says they don't lack experience, "We are excited to bring five golfers back this year that had varsity experience. All five of which had some sort of conference honors last year. Over half our line up will be working on their third year of varsity experience, which we think will be a very useful thing to lean on throughout the season."

In his seventh year as head coach, he wants to keep up recent momentum, "We want to continue to build on what we have been building the last three years in the conference. With our young core two years ago, we jumped up to taking second in the South Suburban Conference in 2024."

After a solid fourth place showing in 2025, "We want to continue that upward climb and compete for a SSC championship this year. In a similar position in Section 1AAA, compete in the second day vying for a section title is also a goal of the girls this year."

All the while, balancing those goals with teaching the new players, "Our coaching staff takes pride in bringing up the level of all our golfers throughout the course of the season and want to make this a team filled with all of golfers attempting to get better at a lifelong sport," adds Paul.

State meet trip
Jayla Mao, a junior captain, got the taste of state as an individual qualifier her freshman season, "It was such a surreal feeling. I didn't even believe I was going. Being a freshman, you're like, I can't believe I made it. The whole goal is to make it there…I'm here. I'm just going to play the best I can to my abilities."

After missing a return to state by three strokes last year, she feels motivated, "I am so read to get back out there and play. I'm ready to show my best. I'm just so excited.

"A lot of grinding out on the golf course, and not just my game but mentally too. I need to keep a positive mind and attitude out there on the course, not let things get to me because that can break a person down."

Mao says that's the key for team success as well, "A lot of hard work. I think we all need to have a really good mentality going into everything."

Chloe Friesz (8th grade), Alana Hansen (junior), and Maddie Klein (8th grade) join juniors Mao and Hedrick as experienced players. "We should play like an older team," believes Paul.

Hedrick is a two-time All-South Suburban player, shooting in the high 80s to low 90s, "That's my goal. I've been playing for a while. I'm just trying to improve and stay consistent…I started as the freshman on varsity, and I've improved every year and worked my way up the lineup."

Mao was already a golfer when she joined the team in seventh grade, "My parents wanted me to try different sports that most girls didn't do when I was little."

Her time with the Tigers has been rewarding, "It's getting to know other girls and make such good friends with them, and life-long friends, honestly. The sisterhood that we bring to it helps bloom connections. I think that's the greatest part about it is that we get so connected and we get an understanding for each other."

Schedule
Schedule highlights include two trips to The Wilds in Prior Lake (April 20 and May 11) and a trip to Willingers in Northfield (May 6), "Where the competition and course are always great to play," states Paul. Farmington hosts meets at Southern Hills on Monday, April 27, Thursday, April 30, and Monday, May 4.

Early season dates include Monday, April 13 at Rochester; Tuesday, April 14 at Inverwood Golf Course; and Thursday, April 16 at Heritage Links.

The Section 1AAA two-day meet is Tuesday, May 26 and Thursday, May 28 at Cannon Falls Golf Club. State is at Bunker Hills in Coon Rapids on Tuesday, June 9 and Thursday, June 11.