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(Carolyn McCalley of Mountain Brook, shown during the 2011 AHSAA golf championships, helped the Spartans to the 2012 title. (Press-Register/Mike Kittrell))
OPELIKA — Fried pickles. Long green socks.
Mountain Brook’s girls pulled out all the stops at Tuesday’s Class 6A state golf tournament. Afterward, they celebrated their second team title in as many years.
Before they raised another blue trophy, they practiced their “lucky ritual,” as Spartans captain Carolyn McCalley called it. Then they went out and posted an overall round of 29-over par, winning the two-day tournament by 10 strokes.
“We just really like fried pickles,” McCalley said. “We have fried pickles before our big tournaments, just for the really big ones, the ones we need to have.”
The Spartans needed this one, this being the biggest tournament, after all. Maybe they needed those fried pickles just as badly. They’d neglected their favorite finger food on Sunday night and left Grand National Golf Course on Monday in a tie for first with Auburn.
“Before we played the first day of the tournament, they were kidding that we needed to get the pickles,” Mountain Brook coach Jackie Clayton said. On Monday night “one of them says, ‘I told you we should’ve had those pickles!’ So they all said, ‘OK, let’s get the pickles.’ ”
The four girls carpooled to a nearby Zaxby’s for a second dinner. Their lucky ritual complete, they revealed another quirk Tuesday morning, donning long green socks and drawing chuckles from a surprised Clayton.
“We’re a real laid-back group,” Clayton said. “We cut up like this all the time.”
The Spartans carded a 36-hole score of 491 with Tatum Jackson’s 153 — good for third — leading the way. Auburn was second at 501.
Mountain Brook’s girls pulled out all the stops at Tuesday’s Class 6A state golf tournament. Afterward, they celebrated their second team title in as many years.
Before they raised another blue trophy, they practiced their “lucky ritual,” as Spartans captain Carolyn McCalley called it. Then they went out and posted an overall round of 29-over par, winning the two-day tournament by 10 strokes.
“We just really like fried pickles,” McCalley said. “We have fried pickles before our big tournaments, just for the really big ones, the ones we need to have.”
The Spartans needed this one, this being the biggest tournament, after all. Maybe they needed those fried pickles just as badly. They’d neglected their favorite finger food on Sunday night and left Grand National Golf Course on Monday in a tie for first with Auburn.
“Before we played the first day of the tournament, they were kidding that we needed to get the pickles,” Mountain Brook coach Jackie Clayton said. On Monday night “one of them says, ‘I told you we should’ve had those pickles!’ So they all said, ‘OK, let’s get the pickles.’ ”
The four girls carpooled to a nearby Zaxby’s for a second dinner. Their lucky ritual complete, they revealed another quirk Tuesday morning, donning long green socks and drawing chuckles from a surprised Clayton.
“We’re a real laid-back group,” Clayton said. “We cut up like this all the time.”
The Spartans carded a 36-hole score of 491 with Tatum Jackson’s 153 — good for third — leading the way. Auburn was second at 501.
