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Confident Cougars are ready

CLEARWATER -- Don't ask Countryside coach Greg Byrant to distinguish between the golfers on his team.

"They're like little clones," Bryant said.

All the way down to his sixth alternate, scoring averages are separated by less than a stroke with one exception. Senior Matt Isel has the lowest average in the Pinellas County Athletic Conference with 36.2.

The Cougars' consistent play isn't the only thing they share. They've all got a healthy case of confidence on the course.

"I think we're pretty cocky," Isel said.

It could be because Countryside went undefeated in the PCAC, 15-0. The team played poorly to its standards and still placed second at the district tournament. And the Cougars came back the next week to win the region tournament.

Today, Countryside makes another run at the state tournament. In 2000, the Cougars finished fifth. Matching its 307 region finish against others in the state, Countryside is in the middle of the pack.

Isel is the only returning player on the state tournament team. He has been trying to prepare his teammates for the extraordinary experience of a state trip.

"They think we all have a chance," Isel said. "The only way we have a chance is if everyone shoots 75, 75," said Isel, who went to state as an individual last year and tied for 12th, shooting 74 both days. "It's nothing like district or region. It's a lot better competition. It gets tough."

Bryant believes one thing the Cougars have going for themselves is senior leadership. Four of the five Cougars are seniors.

"All of these kids, they matured," Bryant said. "They learned how to handle a golf course better. They learned how to compete better." Bryant called it "golf maturity," and he said it pertains to how they play, not how they talk.

While the Cougars have made comments throughout the year that they'd be going to the state tournament, senior Dane Pendleton said it's all in fun.

"We know that we're solid," Pendleton said. "It's more of a joking matter. We worked our butts off trying to get where we are."

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