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Richland girls golf coach Janet Schuster had to make a quick stop on her way to Bellingham on Monday.
"Some of the girls didn't have any rain gear," Schuster said. "We have team wind gear because of where we play. Teams over here have team rain gear."
The rain gear will be needed today when the Washington state high school golf tournaments begin at various courses throughout the Bellingham area, where there is an 80 percent chance of rain.
And unless there is standing water on the greens -- highly unlikely -- the first round will be played.
"They have good drainage on these greens," said Walla Walla boys coach Jim Smith. "But we'll probably have some sloppy fairways."
Eight courses are being used for 10 different state tournaments: Avalon Golf Links in Burlington for the 4A boys; Sudden Valley Golf & Country Club in Bellingham for the 4A girls; the Bellingham Country Club for the 3A boys; the Shuksan Golf Club in Bellingham for the 3A girls; Loomis Trail Golf & Country Club in Blaine for 2A boys; Homestead Golf Course in Lynden for the 2A girls; the North Bellingham Golf Course for both the 1A boys and girls; and the Lake Padden Golf Course in Bellingham for the 2B/1B boys and girls.
After today's first round, the top 40 individuals plus ties will advance to the second and final round, set for Wednesday -- except for the 1A girls and the 2B/1B girls. They will advance the top 20 plus ties.
Despite the inclement weather, Mid-Columbia golfers could come away with some hardware when all of this is finished.
Take the Hanford boys, for example. The defending 3A boys team state champions have a legitimate shot at repeating with four entries -- regional champion Josh Harvey, Scott Kim, Nick Myles and Alex Cantu.
"I would think we have a good chance," said Hanford boys coach Chuck Wagner. "There are two to three schools that have five players here, and three more with four. I guess O'Dea would be the toughest competition. Our guys have been playing pretty solid all year. They've been working pretty hard."
Harvey came off the Bellingham Country Club course Monday and liked what he saw after his practice round.
"(The course) sets up well," Harvey said. "There are some tough placement of pins. But if you play smart, you'll be rewarded. It's a pretty tree-lined course, and it rewards you if you hit the ball down the middle."
Harvey said he and his teammates will have to club down a bit because of some narrow points in the course.
"We'll hit a lot of 3-woods and 3-irons," he said.
Wagner agreed.
"This course has a lot of Horn Rapids characteristics," Wagner said. "Fast greens; you have to play for accuracy."
Smith is taking a wait-and-see approach to the Blue Devils' quest for a state team title at Avalon.
"I just don't know," he said. "We'll know early when the scores start coming because the top golfers are set to tee off early. But we just can't afford to make mistakes on the first day."
Greg Prins, Drew Reinland, Cody Horton and Ryan Goude are all competing for Wa-Hi, and all have taken their turns as a medalist this season.
"They really passed it around," Smith said. "Nobody was real dominant. In terms of being a dual-match team and at district, these guys did well. But we've got to get kids to the second day."
Smith found that his players may have to club up after Monday's practice round, because the length off the tee boxes wasn't big, and the course runs 6,400 yards is all.
"We took a lot of notes," he said. "We got notes on every kid and what he hits on each hole. We'll go back to the hotel and type the notes up and give them to the kids to study."
Schuster said her Bombers -- Mary McDonald, Alexa David and Madison Hamm -- will also have to take an extra club at Sudden Valley today.
"There's no roll," she said. "The course is wide open on the front nine, but on the back side it gets very tight and hilly."
She believes the Bombers have a shot at placing high in the team standings, "if we have all three of them make the cut."
Two individuals expected to do well are Pasco's Kelsey Johnson and Neddy Martinez. Both are state tournament veterans and are comfortable with the course.
"We played a practice round (Sunday), and got back on course (Monday) morning," said Pasco girls coach Jim Steach. "We didn't play the formal practice round (Monday afternoon). They feel comfortable in how they'll attack the course."
The 2007 state champion, Kamiak's Seo Hee Moon, is back this year in the 4A girls event.
"Realistically, if we can put the two of them in the top 10 that'll be great," Steach said.
The Othello girls qualified four players for today's 2A state tournament at Homestead: Ashley Amoruso, Katie Gardner, Carolina Borba Erica Rattray.
The Royal girls did the same thing for the 1A girls tournament at North Bellingham: Laura Perkins, Allysa Presgraves, Shelby Forester and Lacy Goroski.
Led by Joel Hart, the Liberty Christian boys send four golfers into the 2B/1B state tournament at Lake Padden, including Andrew Fleming, Kody Williams and Jase Sitton.
And the Tri-Cities Prep girls will have three players at Lake Padden in the 2B/1B tournament at Lake Padden: Anna Ghirardo, Samantha Pegram and Shelby Kadinger.
4A boys
Avalon Golf Links, Burlington
2007 champions: Kamiak; Kevin Penner, Eastlake
Today's tee times: Greg Prins, Walla Walla, 9:03 a.m.; Drew Reinland, Walla Walla, 9:39 a.m.; Kyle Campbell, Richland, 9:39 a.m.; Cody Horton, Walla Walla, 10:42 a.m.; Ryan Goude, Walla Walla, 10:51 a.m.; Zach Richardson, Richland, 11:09 a.m.
4A girls
Sudden Valley Golf & CC, Bellingham
2007 champions: Kamiak; Seo Hee Moon, Kamiak
Today's tee times: Kelsey Johnson, Pasco, 8:08 a.m.; Mary McDonald, Richland, 8:17 a.m.; Neddy Martinez, Pasco, 8:59 a.m.; Alexa David, Richland, 9:33 a.m.; Madison Hamm, Richland, 9:42 a.m.
3A boys
Bellingham Country Club
2007 champions: Hanford; Alex Moore, Hanford
Today's tee times: Josh Harvey, Hanford, 8:15 a.m.; Scott Kim, Hanford, 9 a.m.; Nick Myles, Hanford, 9:07 a.m.; Alex Cantu, Hanford, 9:52 a.m.; Justin Bos, Sunnyside, 10:07 a.m.; Max Dreisbach, Southridge, 11 a.m.
3A girls
Shuksan Golf Club, Bellingham
2007 champions: Interlake; Brittany Tallman, Issaquah
Today's tee times: Michele Bobbie, Hanford, 9:12 a.m.; Kendrick Romine, Kamiakin, 9:48 a.m.; Karissa Pizzarella, Southridge, 11:27 a.m.
2A boys
Loomis Trail Golf & CC, Blaine
2007 champions: Hockinson; Gaston De La Torre, Hockinson
Today's tee times: Sam Para, Othello, 9:57 a.m.; Jared Kummer, Othello, 10:42 a.m.; Tommy Conteras, Prosser, 11 a.m.; Chad Hadcock, Prosser, 11:36 a.m.
2A girls
Homestead Golf Course, Lynden
2007 champions: Bellingham; Katie Sharpe, Bellingham
Today's tee times: Ashley Amoruso, Othello, 8:10 a.m.; Katie Gardner, Othello, 9:20 a.m.; Carolina Borba, Othello, 10:10 a.m.; Erica Rattray, Othello, 10:50 a.m.; Candice Cooper, Prosser, 12:10 p.m.
1A boys
North Bellingham Golf Course
2007 champions: Charles Wright; Dane deQuilettes, Chelan
Today's tee times: DJ Solis, Royal, 8:36 a.m.; Trevor Iverson, Royal, 9:57 a.m.; Nate Stott, Warden, 10:51 a.m.; Ben Bisnett, Warden, 11 a.m.; Chris Kalous, Warden, 11:09 a.m.; Kyle Spartveit, Royal, 11:27 a.m.
1A girls
North Bellingham Golf Course
2007 champions: Chewelah; Kelli Bowers, Chelan
Today's tee times: Laura Perkins, Royal, 12:09 p.m.; Kim McPartland, Warden, 12:18 p.m.; Allysa Presgraves, Royal, 12:54 p.m.; Shelby Forester, Royal, 1:30 p.m.; Lacy Goroski, Royal, 1:48 p.m.; Lizeth Rodriguez, Warden, 1:48 p.m.
1B/2B boys
Lake Padden Golf Course, Bellingham
2007 champions: Life Christian; Andrew Putnam, Life Christian
Today's tee times: Joel Hart, Liberty Christian, 8:45 a.m.; Ian Fitch, Lind-Ritzville, 9:21 a.m.; Ray Grams, Lind-Ritzville, 9:30 a.m.; Kingmond Tang, DeSales, 9:30 a.m.; Bradley Neilan, Lind-Ritzville, 9:48 a.m.; Sean Williams, DeSales, 9:48 a.m.; Andrew Fleming, Liberty Christian, 9:57 a.m.; Ben Geschke, Lind-Ritzville, 10:15 a.m.; Collin Price, Tri-Cities Prep, 10:15 a.m.; Christian Roach, Tri-Cities Prep, 10:24 a.m.; Kody Williams, Liberty Christian, 10:42 a.m.; Jase Sitton, Liberty Christian, 11:09 a.m.; Kramer Blaac, DeSales, 11:45 a.m.
1B/2B girls
Lake Padden Golf Course, Bellingham
2007 champions: Lopez Island; Sydney Conway, Bear Creek School
Today's tee times: Madeleine Roach, DeSales, noon; Anna Ghirardo, Tri-Cities Prep, 12:54 p.m.; Samantha Pegram, Tri-Cities Prep, 1:03 p.m.; Shelby Kadinger, Tri-Cities Prep, 1:12 p.m.; Kaileia Parks, Columbia Basin Secondary, 1:21 p.m.; Molly Payne, Dayton, 1:48 p.m.
