Freedom Girls Golf Headed to Regionals

Freedom's sophomore Terese Romeo was coming off surgery to her right wrist. She was also coming off a 2011 district playoff where she missed qualifying for regionals by one stroke. There was nothing to stop her on Monday at Walden Lake Country Club in Plant City on Monday.

Chased closely by Steinbrenner sophomore Claire Becker and Plant City junior Kellyanne Hurst, all morning, Romeo used the back nine to extend a lead no golfer could close on. Romeo finished with a 75 this year, shaving two strokes off her score of 77 from last season. Considering she is just two months removed from surgery on her right wrist and that she had never even played the back nine at Walden Lake, the accomplishment is significant.

"She's played, even if her team just needed the score," Patriot coach Rich Simard said. "She just wants to be out there helping her team."

Romeo picked up two strokes on the rest of the field on the back nine, hitting a birdie on the 14th hole. She finished the whole back nine on par and her score of 75 was just three strokes more than par for the whole course. Romeo's score vaulted the Patriots past cross-town rival Wharton and grabbed the third team spot.

Freedom finished with a score of 382 as a team, in front of Wharton (394). Scores from junior Megan Pollenz and Maria Horvath helped buoy the Patriots score and send them on to regionals at Countryside next week.

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