Sep. 12—HONESDALE — Watching North Pocono’s Gwen Powell on the golf course, it’s hard to tell if she’s made birdie or bogey.
Not a lot of emotion from the three-time District 2 champ, even after she looked at the scoreboard after Monday’s Lackawanna League predistrict girls golf qualifier, which, like almost every other District 2 event in her career, saw her sitting at the top.
Powell overcame what she described as a rocky start — not bad by anyone else’s standards — to shoot 2-over-par 74 at Honesdale Golf Club, and will lead the field of 11 Lackawanna qualifiers to the individual tournament Oct. 3 at Fox Hill Country Club.
“It’s always my goal to play my best golf, and hopefully my best golf is the best out of the field,” Powell said. “It definitely feels good. I still have the other side (Wyoming Valley Conference) that I can play against in districts, but as long as I play my best golf and give it everything I’ve got, I’m happy.”
While Powell led the qualifiers in Class 3A — teammate Ava Pabst shot a career-best 86 to finish runner-up — Honesdale Kayla Benson posted the best score in Class 2A with 79. She was the only other player to break 80.
Mountain View’s Lily Sedlak was the runner-up to Benson with an 85, and Scranton Prep’s Chloe Lynch was the other player to break 90, overcoming a closing double bogey to shoot 88.
Players had to meet the district qualifying score of 100 to move on to the next event.
For the upper echelon, not a problem.
“I’m really happy,” Benson said. “I had a couple bad holes on the back, but my goal was to shoot under 100, and I did it.
“It was a good day. I putted really well. My drives were all pretty good. Overall, it was a good day. I don’t really care (about the score). I’m still playing golf. It doesn’t matter.”
Powell fired the same score she did to win the Bob Simons Classic in August, but Benson, Sedlak and Lynch each bettered their performance as the foursome advanced.
“It’s a really good group. We know each other and we get along,” Benson said. “We’ve played a lot of golf together.
“I love playing with Gwen, Chloe and Lily. We all help each other out, so it’s nice.”
Sedlak and Pabst each saw the biggest improvement, shaving 11 strokes off last month’s score.
“I didn’t really want (qualifying) to be an expectation,” Sedlak said. “I left things on the table that I could have done better, as I’m sure everyone could have.
“I used to play with a kind of defensive mindset where I’m always worried about what my opponent is doing. I’ve started to worry about how I can be aggressive and score the best on the hole. I feel a lot more confidence with the wins I’ve gotten.”
She posted three rounds under par in matches, winning each.
“Match play is obviously different, but in stroke play I go back to the hard shots, the cataloged wins I’ve had and I know I’m able to pull them off if I’m in a tough spot,” Sedlak said.
For Pabst, the sister of 2021 state runner-up and Penn State player Billy Pabst Jr., the difference was hard work in the short game.
“I worked on pitch shots, from 120 yards in, and that’s all I’ve really been working on,” Pabst said. “It’s where most of my strokes come from. It’s worked out.
“I think chipping and putting was big for me. I usually hit the ball the same, but chipping and putting is where I give up a lot of strokes.”
Not this time, thanks to new-found optimism.
“If I’m in a tough spot, I’ll obviously play it safe, but if I have an opportunity now, I’ll go for it,” Pabst said. “That’s where the confidence is coming in. One hundred percent.
“I actually really like these greens. Everyone thinks they’re difficult, but I prefer to putt on fast greens. I had a couple three-putts, but a couple one-putts, so it evens out.”
Her teammate found that out, too.
“I was a little disappointed at the beginning,” Powell said. “I just made too many silly mistakes. But I stuck with it. Today, obviously, is predistricts. It’s not the most important day, but I still wanted to show up and do my best.
“It definitely teaches me that even if it’s not going the best, it wasn’t the worst round, but little things here and there can mess with your head, and there’s a lot of golf left.”
Helping to remedy her slow start were 15 greens in regulation, a tap-in birdie on the par-4 third, and a 25-footer for another on the par-3 seventh.
She finished with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th, part of a strong showing from North Pocono, which qualified three individuals as Lyla Jones shot 94.
Important because North Pocono will try to defend its team championship at Honesdale in three weeks.
“It’s definitely another chance to see it,” Powell said of the nine-hole course with two sets of tees. “We played against Honesdale here before. It’s the fourth time we’ll see it. It’s nice in that aspect it’s the same nine holes. It’s definitely going to help us.
“Ava was doing really good. Lyla seemed to be doing pretty well. Even our other girls, they met their goals. I’m really optimistic about our team. I think we’re pretty good. I’m just glad my last season is going to be one of the best in school history. I’m just glad I have my teammates.”
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