The 2025 Macomb High girls golf team has been a mix of the old and the new.
On Monday at Gold Hills, the mix blended into a Prairieland Conference champion.
The Bombers bested five other squads in capturing this year’s league title with a team score of 340.
“We came into our conference tournament with the most confidence we’ve had, and it showed,” said MHS coach Brian Sullivan. “I have been believing all season that this team would break out at some point, and I just knew it would be (this meet).”
“We have had some good 9-hole performances, but we’ve been lacking that day where we post a good 18-hole score,” he added. “(Monday) was a good day for it. We’ve been playing leapfrog with Illini West this year. We knew we would have to play well to beat them.”
Bomber freshman Reese Watson shot a career-low 79 on the 4,760-yard, par 70 layout on the way to earning medalist honors for the first time.
“You could make the story all about Reese because she played that well,” said Sullivan. “Winning a varsity tournament as a freshman by five shots and shooting in the 70s to boot is a huge deal and a big boost of confidence for her.”
But winning the title was truly a team effort. Classmate Taylor Mann, along with Illini West’s Hattie Wood finished tied for second at 84.
Seniors Brenlee Tibbitts and Sophie Wilson finished fifth and sixth respectively with scores of 88 and 89 in earning all-conference honors.
Aunbrey Holthaus carded a 96 and Mullen Butcher 100 in rounding out the Macomb scores.
“Taylor and Aubrey each shot their best 18-hole rounds too, and frankly, they played just as well three days earlier at the QND Invite,” said Sullivan. “They didn’t quite have the final scores to show it, but they learned a lot about how to battle for all 18 holes.”
Illini West finished in second place with a 372, followed by Farmington (409), LVC (415), Elmwood (423) and Havana (492).
Brimfield did not field a full squad and had no team score. Other players receiving all-conference honors by finishing in the top 10 included the following: Nicole Detmers of Brimfield (85), Macy Eeten of LVC (90), Kate Andersen of Farmington (91), Audrey Sullivan of Illini West (91) and Rachel Fell of Brimfield (94).
Thirty-six golfers took part in the 18-hole event. “Brenlee, Sophie, Mullen, and Elise (Sullivan), our veteran players, are providing a solid floor for us,” said coach Sullivan. “On their bad days they still give us dependable scores. But they each are capable of leading us on their good days too. In a way, we have two parts of our team: the new and the old. They are meshing right now.”
