The Wright City girls golf team returns with a close-knit team made up of seven golfers. Four girls returned to the team and three sophomores joined the Wildcats as newcomers.  

“I got three new girls who have never played before, but they are picking up the game pretty quickly which is phenomenal,” Head Coach Shannon Wells said. 

One of the returners is sophomore Morgan Nute who accomplished a fourth-place finish at the Class 2 state golf meet as only a freshman. This year, Nute returns and Wells has high hopes for the promising golfer. 

“Her goal is to qualify in the top 10 again like she did last year and if she does better than that, that’s the cherry on top,” Wells said. “[The team] is excited for Morgan and they want to help her out as best they can.” 

Unlike last year, the team has been able to hold most of their practices outside and get more swings in before their season starts, which has benefited the team. 

The Wildcats have been focusing on a multitude of things during practices. Chipping and putting have been two main focuses due to Wells' belief that a golfer can really minimize strokes off their game when they have a chip shot or they can easily recover if they hit a bad driver.  

In addition, the Wildcats, especially the newcomers, are working on ironing out their swings and learning some of the game rules. 

Wells noted that much like his previous teams, this team works together seamlessly despite the varying levels of experience. 

Wells said the team’s strengths are leadership, coachability and working together. 

“I really like working with these girls and they get along very well and they’re all working with each other to help one another improve,” Wells said. 

The Wright City golf team is slated to open the season Friday, Aug. 30 at Boonville.