FOXFIRE VILLAGE — Keith Parsons and a half dozen Lady Raider golfers met at Foxfire Golf and Country Club Thursday for the team’s second practice of the season.
Parsons is entering his second season as the golf program’s head coach at Richmond Senior High School, and with him, returns several players from a season ago. Among them is senior four-year starter Hailey Miller, who has proven to be the cornerstone of the team the past couple of seasons.
Back for year two are sophomores Kenleigh Frye and Kirsten McDonald, both of whom were regular contributors on last year’s team. There are also three new golfers this fall in senior Lauren Humann, and juniors Delaney Driggers and Angeli Yang.
The group played three holes on the Gray Course Thursday after spending its first practice earlier in the week at the driving range. Parsons split the group in two, letting the returning players go off together while he worked with the newcomers.
The pairings played holes No. 1, No. 6 and No. 18, a short three-hole round to get everyone back in the swing of things.
ROSports spoke with Miller and Parsons on the course in the latest edition of Raider Video Chats. Click the photos below for the exclusive video interviews.
Hailey Miller, senior
Miller has been with the Lady Raider golf program since her freshman year and has been a staple on the team. She made the NCHSAA 4A state tournament as a sophomore and junior, and finishing a career best T29 last fall. Miller also drained her first career hole-in-one at state tournament.
In her interview, Miller discusses her golf game, some things she hopes to work on and where she’d like to finish in the fall’s postseason.
Keith Parsons, head coach
For Parsons, his second year as the girls’ head coach will see him without four contributors last fall: Natalie Davis, Jessi Graham, Kylie McDonald and Gabby Paone. But that’s not stopping him from taking the mixture of verteran and rookie talent and making the best of it.
He highlights his expectations for the returning players and also discusses what needs to happen between now and the team’s first match on Monday, Sept. 9, at Pinehurst No. 5.
ROSports will publish a full season preview closer to the first match.
