Simenson sparks Phantoms over Spring-Ford in season-opener

LINFIELD >> Grace Simenson and the rest of the Phoenixville Area High School girls golfers began the Pioneer Athletic Conference season exactly the way they wanted.
Simenson, the outstanding Phantom sophomore who is returning at the No. 1 position in the lineup, fired a 4-over-par 39 as Phoenixville defeated Spring-Ford, 185-205, in a nine-hole match at Linfield National Golf Club to begin the 2015 season Monday afternoon.
“I had a few bad shots, but I had 17 putts that helped a little bit,” said Simenson. “It was all recovery shots. It was good.”

Simenson posted five pars and four bogeys to complete her round on the 2,551-yard front nine holes at Linfield.
Senior Maddie Davis (44), junior Hope Simenson (47) and freshman Morgan Morris (55) filled out the scoring for the Phantoms.
“The Linfield greens were scary with unexpected speed that made it tough,” said Grace Simenson. “Some holes had a lot of bends. You had to start forward more and observe how to play the course.”
The victory also started the first full season on a bright note for Phoenixville head coach Sandy Waltz, who served as an interim head coach last fall after taking over in the middle of the season. Waltz also has a new assistant coach in Tracy Sterling.
“Coming from such a young team last year and struggling, and coming out with a first win in the first match of the season, I am very excited about the season,” said Waltz. “I have a great mix of seasoned players and young players. So to win the first match, I am very happy.”
“It was fun,” added Davis. “I had a lot of fun. The strongest part of my game is keeping a positive attitude, even after a bad shot. I am still a work in progress.”
Spring-Ford was led by junior Emily Pochet (44), senior Kelsey Hahn (51), junior Sam Weidman (54) and junior Mary Enger (56). The Rams are once again coached by veterans Patty Lebow and Darryl Perecko.
“That was not what I was expecting,” said Lebow. “I am hoping for improvement. I had one score that was low, but three that were not as low as expected. I expect improvement. It’s early. It is only the first match so we’ll keep working hard.”
Pochet is a new player to the game of golf, but she is already doing quite well with the sport.
“I am pretty happy,” said Pochet. “I started out with a bad hole, but I came back and stayed consistent for the rest of the round.”
She says playing golf at a competitive level is a new experience, but a challenge she is looking forward to.
“It is a little different. My brother is a golfer for Spring-Ford. He is on the boys team and is a sophomore. I wanted to try it out this year.”
Pochet definitely impressed on her first day competing with the Rams.