Girls golf 2023: Sarah Quayle and Olivia Tobin hoping to return Avon Lake to its past glory

Avon Lake was a perennial fixture at the Division I district girls golf tournament prior to 2021. Sarah Quayle and Olivia Tobin are trying to bring back the good old days. Quayle, a senior, and Tobin, a junior, advanced to the district tournament as individuals last season and now they're looking to return and take the rest of the Shoregals with them. Tobin shot an 84 at last season's Division I sectional tournament at Springvale Golf Course while Quayle shot an 86. Together they grabbed two of the four individual qualifying berths. "They're both incredibly hard workers and they can both drive the ball," Shoregals coach Krystine Frisch said. "They're the first to practice and last to leave and that hard work pays off." "Making it to districts made me realize I was actually capable of doing something," Quayle said. "So this summer I practiced as much as I could and took advantage of the opportunity to go play in tournaments." Quayle shot a 92 at the Southwestern Conference Tournament last year then improved her score by six strokes a week late on the same course to earn her trip to the district tournament. Meanwhile, Tobin displayed the consistency that has been the key to her success, posting an 85 at the SWC and 84 at sectionals. "It was really exciting for me, being so young and being able to go to districts," Tobin said. "I was really nervous going into sectionals last year. I wasn't expecting to shoot what I shot. I was expecting around 90. Now this year, coming off of that, I have high expectations of getting back to district again." Frisch wasn't surprised by either girls' success. "Olivia played No. 1 for most of year and just really excelled," Frisch said. "She's a thoughtful player. Before she hits the ball she really thinks through her shot." "Sarah is a great golfer and she really gained confidence in her game by going to districts," Frisch said. "So much of the game is mental, and even though she has such great skills, sometimes she needs a boost of confidence." Quayle and Tobin were first-team All-SWC last season, joining Avon's Madigan O'Leary as the only underclassmen on the team. Now they want to use their experience to lift up the rest of the Shoregals. "I think this team can be really good this year," Quayle said. "We're planning on winning SWC, for sure. Hopefully, we can make it to districts as a team." Frisch said Quayle and Tobin's success last year "fired up" the younger girls on the team and set the course for this season. Tobin also played tournament golf in the summer to get ready for the high school season. "I played on the Hurricane Junior Golf tour," she said. "It helped me a lot because I traveled the state and had the chance to play and walk all of these tough courses. I feel like in high school golf it's more pressure. Tournament golf I feel like there's no pressure. I've always had trouble with learning to get past it when I hit bad shots. I'm trying to get better at that." While Tobin and Quayle have developed a strong friendship the past three seasons, they also are fierce, but friendly, competitors. "We're both extremely competitive," Tobin said. "It's super fun to have that friendly competition with her. We help each other get better." "I expect a great one-on-one battle for first place with both girls because they both want it," Frisch said. "So it's going to be fun to watch and see." Neither girl finished in the top half of the field at last year's district tournament at Brookledge Golf Club. They expect to be more prepared if they have a return engagement this season. "Playing with all of those other golfers that are Division I-caliber golfers and playing on such a difficult course really helped me grow as a player," Tobin said. "If I get back to districts I'm definitely not going to get as worked up," Quayle said. "I'm just going to stay calm and be slow and steady with my swings." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.