The Wildcats racked up a 4-1 win over the Gryphons at Westchester Country Club May 6, but the score belied how close the match actually was.

By Melanie Cane

The Wildcats racked up a 4-1 win over the Gryphons at Westchester Country Club May 6, but the score belied how close the match actually was.

Rye Country Day senior Captain Summer Kitahara, the No. 1 player, easily beat Holy Child’s top player, freshman Claire Monahan. The Wildcats’ No. 2 player, junior Kate Weiss, also had a definitive win over Gryphons’ freshman Amanda Cummins. But the three, four, and five matches went down to the last hole and the last putt.

Holy Child’s third and fourth players, junior captain Maggie Curtis and senior captain Kristen “K-Daddy” Daddario, halved their matches. The Gryphons’ fifth player, sophomore Maddie Lauth, was two inches short on her final putt and fell to Rye Country Day freshman Natalie Alpert, 1-up.

Wildcats Coach Kaori McManus was pleased with her team’s performance. “All the girls played with tenacity and kept their focus until the very end.”

Gryphons Coach Mike Duignan thought it was great match. “The Wildcats have a talented and determined team that brought out the best in our girls. This year’s team is learning how to compete in match play — with experience will come lower scores. We are learning and having fun. That’s what it’s all about.”

Before the match, the Gryphons said an FAA goodbye to Daddario. Coach Duignan summed it up best: “Our young players have learned the values that the game of golf delivers — respect, commitment, sportsmanship, effort — through K-Daddy’s example. Good luck to her at her chosen college, George Washington University.”

Holy Child’s current record is 1-8-1 overall and 1-4 in FAA play. Rye Country Day’s overall record is 7-3, and they’re 5-2 in FAA. Both teams will participate in the New England tournament in Watertown, Connecticut, and the FAA tournament on May 19.