Most golf coaches look for an ace, the sort of player who can score low, score consistently and beat anyone he or she goes up against.
You just look for one. If you’ve got an ace, you’ve got something.
Erskine coach Mark Bailey has three. In Aaron Pion, Connor Paine and Justin Browne, he has a trio of players who brought a championship to South China — and who are hungry for another one.
“That was the big wave that we rode,” Bailey said. “And now I think all three have great chances to get back (to the state tournament) as individuals, and that’s going to carry our team.”
Last postseason showed the kind of depth Erskine brings back in its repeat try. In the team championships, Pion was the low scorer, firing a 77 while Paine and Browne carded 80s. In the individuals, Pion was tied for seventh in Class B with an 81, while Browne and Paine had an 83 and 84, respectively. In the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference shootout, the final match of September, Paine was the team’s low man with a 39 over nine holes.
Those are numbers teams are happy to get from any of their players. With three players vying each match to be Erskine’s best that day, each going about their games in different ways, Bailey knows he has a luxury.
“Connor will be the golfing leader through his play. Not too much bothers him,” he said. “Aaron is our emotional leader, and Justin is just quiet and steady. They all will pitch in to that leadership role, all from different angles.”
And don’t expect them to be fazed by the prospect of finishing their senior seasons with yet another championship.
“I don’t think the guys feel the pressure,” he said. “They handle it pretty well.”
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