Provided – Mnemosyne Yearbook

Senior Haley Hughes chips onto the green at the September 10 match against North Posey and Central High School. Hughes captured her second PAC Championship on September 7.

Haley Hughes, a senior at Gibson Southern, won her second PAC Championship at this year’s 2024 contest. Not only did Hughes win, she broke the Gibson Southern and PAC record with her score of 76. Hughes is a hard working athlete and puts a lot of time into her sport, which is ultimately what separates her from the competition. 

“Haley puts in the most time and effort into her game and it has definitely paid off,” head coach Kristen Harpenau said. ”She is constantly practicing and playing rounds to improve her game. She has learned course management and keeps a very level head while she plays. All of these are essential to becoming a skilled golfer.”

Before a round, Hughes starts her warmup by hitting half-shots, a shot in which a golfer swings with half power to get the feel of her clubs, and then she follows that with hitting her higher clubs. After that, she finishes her warm up with putting. She has a 240-yard drive.

“My irons are the best part of my game,” Hughes said.
Hughes started the first hole of the tournament quite tense, but after she got on the green and made par, her nerves started going away. After that, it was smooth sailing, and she finished the first nine holes with a score of 34.

“On the last two holes, I realized I was one under, which was scary,” Hughes said. “The last two holes are the hardest to play.”

She took her first shot of the 17th hole, and it was just in bounds. She ended hole 17 with a chip onto the green, then she two putt, resulting in a bogey. Then came the last hole.

“I was trying to make smart decisions,” Hughes said. “Try to get good contact and not take any risky shots.”

She got on the three green within her first two shots. Then, Hughes was faced with a long birdie putt. She missed it and ended up three-putting for bogey. In the end, it did not matter that she had the few extra strokes, as Hughes won her second PAC Championship with a record breaking score of 73. 

“It’s feel awesome,“ Hughes said. “[It] Makes me appreciate all the time I put in the sport.“