The 2025 Macomb High girls golf team features a mixture of experienced players, along with an exciting group of newcomers.
“We have quite a bit of experience coming back,” said MHS girls coach Brian Sullivan.
That includes five returnees with varsity experience.
At the top are seniors Brenlee Tibbitts and Sophie Wilson.
Tibbitts was the No. 1 player for the Bombers all last season.
“She really stepped her game up last year because we needed somebody to play in the No. 1 spot and she just did a great job of doing that all season long,” Sullivan said of Tibbitts. “She was really steady for us. Now she just needs to work toward taking that next step.”
Wilson also returns, rejoining the team last season while also playing on the volleyball squad.
“She has the ability to be our best player and do really well,” said Sullivan.
Junior Mullen Butcher is also back for her third season.
“This is the most dedicated summer she has had to the game in her three years being on the team,” said Sullivan. “She is in a really good spot heading into the season.”
All three have played in sectional competition.
A year ago, Tibbitts and Butcher were sectional qualifiers with Wilson missing out advancing by one stroke.
In 2023, Tibbitts and Butcher were part of a squad that placed second in regional play and 12th in sectional competition.
In 2022 as a freshman, Wilson was part of a regional championship team that placed seventh in sectional play.
“I think the three that have played in a sectional before, they've had some success at the regional level,” said Sullivan. “They’re really looking to take that next step, be able to advance to a sectional and compete well there.”
Another pair of returning seniors with varsity experience are Elise Sullivan and Lillie Lowe.
“They’ve got so much ability and they’ve got the experience,” said Sullivan of the returning players. “They have to use it to their advantage. They really have to use it. They can do it. They’ve been there before. They need to be the ones that show that this is their time; take the bull by the horns and get after it.”
Joining the team this season is junior Aubrey Holthaus, who played tennis the previous two seasons.
“She’s a tremendous athlete and has a great attitude toward the game,” said Sullivan of Holthaus. “She is on the fast track to success.”
Her sister Ainsley also played golf and was part of the 2022 regional championship team.
“I don’t know what the ceiling is for her,” said Sullivan of Holthaus. “The more we can get her with a club in her hand, she can be dangerous.”
“She’s played other sports (including basketball and track) and she’s able to handle all the other stuff that’s going on,” he added. “You can’t teach that. You learn from experience.”
Rounding out the roster are Reese Watson, Taylor Mann, Grace O’Hern and Emrey Seward.
“Reese Watson and Taylor Mann have really impressed me just with their maturity, their competitiveness, their dedication to improving,” said Sullivan. “The two of them together, how they motivate each other, is really cool to watch.”
“They’re really fun to have and it’s going to be a lot of fun to see where they can take it,” he added.
Sullivan also noted that with the experienced players that are back, the newcomers “don’t have to carry the team, just come in and play well.”
Sullivan stated that main focus this summer was to “getting out and playing,” working on a variety of shots and situations they may encounter during the season.
The schedule is slightly different from last year as it now includes the Normal Community High School Invite for the first time.
Prior to the postseason, the big focus for Sullivan and the team is on the Prairieland Conference meet that the Bombers will host at Gold Hills, along with the program’s annual home invitational.
Sullivan said that the program and players have two areas that they need to improve on this year if the team is to be successful.
“There are two keys that we really need to work on that have been missing for a little while,” he said. “One is we need to support each other. When you’re out on the golf course, it can be a really lonely place. You have to feel the support from your coaches and your teammates while you’re out there. That’s number one, we have to work on that.”
“Number two, we need to work on our mental and emotional toughness when we’re out on the golf course,” Sullivan added. “When you’re out there for your longer rounds in those bigger tournaments, it’s hard to be out there trying and focusing. We have to be better in those two areas.”
Watch for more local high school sports previews in upcoming issues of the Community News Brief.
