Field no match for Glassford

She tries to hide the smile, she really does.

Without the slightest bit of arrogance, Coronado High School's Bethany Glassford talked about her skill level, her domination of the field and her latest medalist honors in the Sunrise Region golf tournament Tuesday.

And she smiled a wide smile, a bashful, embarrassed smile.

"Whether there's no one out there who can beat me or there's 20 people who can, usually the same pressure is on me," Glassford said. "But I don't play the field; I play the course."

Often this year, she's beaten it to a bloody pulp.

At Sunrise Vista on Nellis Air Force Base, the course almost had Glassford, but she played beautifully down the stretch, finishing at 1-under-par 71, seven shots ahead of runner-up Stephanie Whatley of Silverado. Green Valley won the team title, shooting 434 to beat Silverado by 10.

Battling a cold and a nagging cough, Glassford was able to make up for her worst hole of the day -- a double bogey early in the back nine.

"It was tough, but it was fun," she said. "In my swing, I was just trying not to breathe. While everyone else was hitting, I was trying not to cough."

Now a three-time Sunrise champion, Glassford will prepare for the state meet, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday at Canyon Gate Country Club, without much pressure.

"The state championship is something she wants to win, but it's not the end for her," Coronado coach Joe Sawaia said. "It's kind of just, 'This is just another tournament I have to play.' She's got some real lofty goals."

And those goals might be attainable if Glassford continues to improve at her current pace. Last year's state runner-up will play for UNLV next season, but she dreams of the LPGA Tour.

"I don't want to say that high school golf is not important to her, but she understands that she's the best in the field," Sawaia conceded.

Before the tournament, Green Valley coach Greg Murphy espoused the importance of team consistency, and depth was the key in defeating Silverado. The Skyhawks' top three players were collectively stronger, but the Gators were solid from top to bottom. Their five players' scores ranged from 85 to 90.

"Our No. 4 (Brittany Radke) and No. 5 (Kelly Lee) stepped up huge today," Murphy said. "They shot numbers that were a part of their goals, but they shot better than anticipated. That's what I said -- we'd need depth to win this.

"We care about our 1-2-3, but we know we need depth to carry us."