By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

GRANITE QUARRY — East Rowan’s girls had a really interesting golf team this season.

It was like that box of chocolates. You never knew what you were going to get.

Izzy Stepp finding her swing, her grin and her dancing shoes as the Mustangs withstood a challenge by South Rowan for their eighth straight crown was the story of the Rowan County Championships.

Jaelyn Earnhardt was capable of hot sprees, including two birdies in a four-hole span in the 3A State Championships and a career-best 78 for third place in the South Piedmont Conference Tournament.

Mighty mite Cailey Ludwig came out of nowhere to steal the show in the 3A West Regional at Cramer Mountain.

But steady wins the race, and Kaley Pfister was a rock for a surprising team.

Pfister was the county champion and she was quietly turning in a decent scorecard, even on those days when teammates took their turn in the spotlight. East couldn’t afford any bad days from Pfister, so she was determined not to have bad days.

Pfister, who tied for 29th, one shot ahead of Earnhardt in the 3A State Championships at Longleaf, is the Post’s Rowan County Golfer of the Year.

“She’s really quiet, really competitive and she’s really focused,”  East coach Tinsley Merrell said. “Doesn’t say a lot, but she does smile a lot.”

Pfister is an athlete who also plays softball and basketball. When it looked like East would run out of golfers a few years ago, Merrell had to knock on doors. She went out and recruited Pfister, Earnhardt and Stepp when they were eighth-graders at Erwin Middle School. They started golf from scratch.

“The first round of golf I ever played was the summer before my freshman year at East,” Pfister said. “We went out to McCanless and played the back nine. I hit some pretty awful shots, but I also hit enough good ones to be encouraged.”

Pfister and her pals were depth at first. When they were freshmen, East had Hannah Waddell and Addison Queen, both of whom were county-champ level players, in the junior class. Senior Emma Cornelison could provide the third score, so the young Mustangs had time to learn the ropes. Pfister shot 107 in rough conditions at McCanless in the 2022 Rowan County Championships, but it didn’t hurt anything. She also qualified that season to play in the regional for the first time.

East still had Waddell and Queen to lead the way in 2023. As sophomores, Pfister, Earnhardt and Stepp were ready to help with that third score. Pfister shot 90 for fourth place in the 2023 Rowan County Championships at Corbin Hills. Earnhardt and Stepp also shot in the mid-90s that day.

The moments of truth arrived for Pfister, Earnhardt and Stepp this season, as it was all on their shoulders. It was their turn to keep East’s county dynasty going, with Ludwig and Ava Alderman providing the depth. They had been back-up singers. Now they were lead vocalists.

They led East to a really good season — first in the county, second in the South Piedmont Conference, sixth in the regional and 11th in 3A. That’s a remarkable season considering these girls are all relatively new to golf.

“When you think that we started playing three years ago, it’s pretty cool,” Pfister said.

Pfister’s strength is her booming drive, her outstanding distance off the tee. She’s a threat to drive some par-4s.

“Yes, that is my strength, but I know I’ve got to work hard on my short game,” Pfister said. “I think my swing is solid, but if I can improve on chipping and putting, I can score a lot better.”

Pfister shot 87 in the SPC Championships for sixth place. The league included state runner-up Lake Norman Charter.

The toughest course and most challenging conditions Pfister and her teammates faced this season were in the 3A West Regional held in Gaston County at Cramer Mountain.

“Chilly weather that day and really tight fairways,” Pfister explained. “If you hit it right or left at all, you were in trouble.”

Pfister survived her toughest test of the season with a 97. She and Ludwig (96) and Earnhardt (100) qualified for the state championships. Those state championships, where Pfister shot 89 and 90, were a great experience for her. She had fun, she learned, and the goal now is to get back and do even better as a senior.

A strong student who excels in math and answers to “KP,” Pfister has shot a career-best 40 for nine holes at McCanless.

Her career best for 18 holes was the 85 she shot to win this year’s county tournament. It’s unusual to shoot a career-best in such a meaningful tournament. There’s some pressure and some jitters in the county event.

“I think what pushed me to the 85 that day was that I was playing with (South Rowan’s) Sara Culbert, and she was having a great day,” Pfister said. “I was like five strokes behind her at one point. I knew the team might need every shot, so I had to kick it into gear.”

Merrell is thrilled with how far all five of her team members came with their golf games this season.

As they grew individually, the team grew. Pfister’s soaring drives were part of that growth. So was her calm, no-drama demeanor. The junior acted like a senior.

“You can’t get upset out there,” Pfister said. “You can’t let one bad hole make it a bad round.”

All-Rowan County

East Rowan — Kaley Pfister, Jaelyn Earnhardt, Izzy Stepp, Cailey Ludwig

South Rowan — Sara Culbert, Ava Blume, Margo Maples

Player of the Year — Kaley Pfister, East Rowan

Coach of the Year — Tinsley Merrell, East Rowan

NOTES – Salisbury’s Xaniyah Price shot 96 to win the Central Carolina Conference Championships. … North Hills Christian junior Reese Merrell has qualified for three straight state tournaments and finished 13th in the NCISAA Division II state tournament with rounds of 87 and 89. … Gray Stone’s Hannah Lineberry shot a 75 for the first-round lead and placed fifth in the 1A/2A State Championships at Sapona. … South Rowan senior Ava Blume was a 3A state qualifier. She shot 97 in the regional and a pair of 98s in the state event.