WORTHINGTON -- Ron Wood likes the players he has.
It's a small squad, but the Minnesota West head golf coach expects his team to compete this season.
Worthington graduates Jenn Scholtes, Nyiebol Gew and Meghan Westendorf make up the Lady Jays.
"Meghan is solid, she'll probably shoot really nice numbers," Wood said. "Jenn, at the end of the last season and over the summer, was really hitting the ball well. I had Jenn and Nyiebol play nine (Tuesday) morning. Jenn is in the 40s and Jenn is in the mid 50s.
"Nyiebol, three years ago didn't know what a golf club looked like. Now she's at that point and she's coming back out and we're going to work on her short game. She probably has 10 strokes she can shave off if I can get her short game down."
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Wood is still looking for a fourth golfer to fill his ladies' team.
"I'm real excited," the coach said. "From the state perspective, I only need three females to have a team. I need a fourth to go to the regions because the region requires four players. I'm hoping to be able to do that."
All three played for Wood at Worthington High School, making the transition easy.
"I've watched them mature from 10th-graders up through seniors," Wood said. "It's been kind of nice to watch that and see them come over and play here."
On the men's side, Tim Healy returns as the lone sophomore in the program.
Worthington graduate Joe Koepsell and Sibley-Ocheyedan native Jacob Laverman are also on the team.
"Both of them strike the ball really nice," Wood said of Koepsell and Laverman. "If Tim is able to play and I can pick up a fourth man, we're not going to be national champions or anything, but I think we'll have scores that are really decent.
"The three golfers I have now I think will be in the 80s most of the time, so I'm real excited about that."
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MW will host Rochester today at Prairie View in its only home meet of the season.
"I just tell the players, right now we're just getting ready," Wood said. "There are really only two days that are key in golf in this state and those are the regional days."
But despite a young team, Wood is excited about the golfers he has.
"The young people I have I really like," the coach said. "It was kind of fun to watch Nyiebol and Jenn. I went around and played with them and watched them working on things. I tell them different things and they are listening. They want to learn and they want to get better."
As the team continues to get better, Wood is confident his team will play well by the time the regional tournament rolls around.
"If I get one more lady, if I get a fourth, I think we're OK," Wood said. "Not going to say we're going to win anything. We're going to be highly competitive when we go to Brainerd in October."
