BY BRETT MARSHALL
GARDEN CITY — With five plyers returning, Garden City's girls golf team was pegged as the overwhelming favorite to dominate the Western Athletic Conference.
Standouts Brooke Savolt and Ailynn Anderson along with improving Breckyn Lucas, Megan Burr and Lakyn Warren returned.
Those early predictions held true when the Lady Buffs captured all five conference tournaments for a perfect 25 points, landing four of the six spots on the all-WAC first team. Their average margin of victory was nearly 50 shots.
Savolt earned Player of the Year honors and Coach Chris Duncan is Coach of the Year.
“The girls spent a lot of time last summer competing in Central Links Golf tournaments,” Duncan said. “They were busy traveling, getting great competition and working hard to improve their games.”
Every player lowered their tournament scoring average in 2025, including Warren, who posted a career-low round at the 6A regional. She improved her stroke average by nearly 10 shots this season.
“I’m proud of all the girls as they’ve worked so hard to get better,” Duncan said. “When you see your fifth player continuing to get better, it’s encouraging. Our top players just have a great work ethic.”
Savolt won four of the five WAC tournaments with Anderson taking medalist honors in the other to finish 1-2 in the POY race with 74 and 70 points, respectively.
Great Bend Panther Kylee Miessler earned second-team All-WAC honors with 29 points.
“A number of the girls spent time in the summer taking lessons and working with Buffalo Dunes head pro Jason Hase and that helped immensely,” Duncan said. “They improved their distance and accuracy.”
Duncan had his team working a lot on the short game, hitting all types of wedge shots, chipping and putting drills every day.
“A lot of the shots we worked on were bump-and-run, but also higher pitch shots,” Duncan said. “We play on a lot of different courses with different kinds of grass, and it creates different kinds of shots required.”
Consistency was also another area where each of his players improved. There were not as many double bogeys dotting the scorecards this season, Duncan said.
“If they got into trouble, we just told them to pitch out and try to make no worse than bogey,” Duncan said. “They were not all over the map with their scores. A lot of pars, bogeys, birdies but not so many doubles or triples.”
Another major improvement came from Lucas, who was consistently the fourth score in 2024, but in several events was the third lowest score.
“She’s gone from shooting mainly in the mid-90s to many mid-80s to high 80s,” Duncan said. “She has worked incredibly hard to improve and it is showing in her tournament scores.”
The Buffs earned the top three spots on the POY list with Lucas finishing behind her two teammates and Burr taking sixth. Warren earned second-team all-WAC. “It’s great to see all of them getting some success,” Duncan said. “It’s been a lot of fun to see them working hard, getting better, and enjoying playing together as a team.”
The team title was the 15th for the Lady Buffs’ program since the WAC was organized in 1984.
Brooke Savolt felt like she had something she wanted to prove to herself after making the all-WAC first team. Savolt won four WAC tourneys and placed second to finish with 74 points for the POY award.
Her award snapped a five-year run by Hays individuals and was the first for Garden City since 2019 when Alyssa McMillen won the award.
“There were times where it felt stressful and I hoped I would have a chance to win,” Savolt said of the POY award. “I had a chance last year but got sick for the Dodge tournament. I knew me and Ailynne would be battling it out.”
Savolt held a 3-point lead going into the final WAC tournament, which was played on the Buffs’ home layout, Buffalo Dunes Golf Course.
“I try to be calm and play like normal,” said Savolt who closed out her regular season with a 5-over-par 77 on the demanding Dunes layout. “It gives me confidence that I can play good at other courses.”
One of the factors in her improved game has been her ability to hit more greens in regulation.
“I’m hitting my irons better, and I’m hitting them more accurately and giving myself more chances for birdies,” Savolt said. “The mental game has improved a whole lot. I’m much better at not being so hard on myself.”
Savolt said she spent most of her summer playing in junior tournaments as well as practicing and getting lessons at home.
“Two to three times a week I'd chip and putt,” Savolt said. “My goals with the drills were to get the chips closer than five feet. This gives me more confidence.”
There were several goals Savolt had set for herself and her team for 2025. Some have now been accomplished; some have yet to come to fruition.
“I want our team to be playing the second day at state, and I want to finish higher at the state,” said Savolt, who placed 18th a year ago. “We push each other to play better and it’s been a lot of fun.”
WAC FIRST TEAM--Garden City (Brooke Savolt, 74; Ailynn Anderson, 70; Breckyn Lucas, 59; Megan Burr, 531/2); Hays High (Kinley Pfannenstiel, 58; Ava Erbert, 551/2).
WAC SECOND TEAM--Garden City (Lakyn Warren, 211/2); Dodge City (Breckyn Putnam, 471/2; Kale Culwell 20); Great Bend (Kylee Miessler, 29); Hays High (Lily Butler, 141/2)
