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Citrus' six-pack of standouts

The Citrus girls are 17-0. They could upset Saddlebrook today in the Class A, District 9 Tournament at Inverness Golf & Country Club. Here's a look at the golfers who teamed up for Citrus' second straight undefeated regular season.

By DAWN REISS
Published October 10, 2006

CLASS 2A DISTRICT 6

THE TEAMS: Lecanto, Springstead, Belleview, Ocala Forest, Lake Weir, Land O'Lakes, Leesburg, Vanguard, Wesley Chapel

WHEN: Today, 1 p.m.

WHERE: Sebring Municipal Golf Course

Class A, District 9

THE TEAMS: Citrus, Crystal River, Hernando, Bishop McLaughlin, Nature Coast, Pasco Saddlebrook, South Sumter, Wiregrass Ranch, Zephyrhills

WHEN: Today, 9 a.m.

WHERE: Inverness Country Club

BRIANA CARLSON

AGE/year: 15, sophomore

AVERAGE: 38, No. 1 golfer

BEST PART ABOUT HER GAME: She can crush the ball. Typically around 250 yards. The farthest she has gone: 285.

FAVORITE PLACE TO PLAY: Southern Woods. "I play it so much. It's just nice course. The greens are fast and everything is in good shape. It's peaceful out there."

FAVORITE GOLFER: Annika Sorenstam. "She's just level-headed and has a good mental game. And she wins a lot."

WHEN DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN GOLF: "Around 7 years old. My father took me out."

WHY SHE LOVES IT: "It's a tough game and you can always get better at it."

TIMES UNDER PAR THIS SEASON: Twice for nine holes she shot 34 and 35. At the county championship, she shot 71.

STROKES DROPPED: "Three to five. I'm working on being more consistent and practicing more of the short game. I changed up my swing. I shortened it and made it quicker."

WHY THE 'CANES ARE WINNING: "We practice hard and we really work at it. You have to go in with a good mental attitude; if you don't you'll throw your whole game off and you're not going to really help your team."

WHEN SHE'S NOT GOLFING SHE'S ...: Watching it on TV. "If I have no homework, I watch it a good five hours. I like to watch and see how players play particular shots and see how they do it, so I can go out and use it."

OBSESSIVE ABOUT GOLF?: "Probably. One parent told my mom I could hit balls all day long. I enjoy it. I don't look at as work."

FAVORITE CLUB: King Cobra (driver). "I like hitting it far. It's a good feeling and a big confidence booster when you go to play your next shot."

TIP FOR NEW BEGINNER: "If you just started, don't give up on it just yet, give it a little time. It does take a lot of time to start playing and get good at it."

TIMES A WEEK SHE PLAYS: "Six or seven. Sometimes I take Friday off."

HER TRADEMARK: A New York Yankees head cover on her 3-wood. "It's just a little thing to remind me there are champions out there, even though there aren't this year."

LAUREN BOMKE

AGE/year: 15, sophomore

AVERAGE: 44, No. 2 golfer

BEST PART OF HER GAME: "My long game. My drives are good, my irons are consistent." Best drive: 230.

FAVORITE CLUB: "I like my 8-iron or driver. I just like the feel of it when you hit it. You can't even feel the ball; it's soft. When you swing, it just flows."

FAVORITE GOLFER: "I don't really watch golf on TV very much. But I do like the Chicago Bears. My mom's from Chicago and we go there all time and the Bears are a good team. I like (receiver) Justin Gage. He's good and I like (quarterback) Rex Grossman."

LIKES BEST ABOUT CHICAGO: "The temperature and it's pretty. Florida is too hot and I love going up there because it's feel nice."

WHY SHE GOT INVOLVED IN GOLF: "My dad started me at young age and just kept with it. I was maybe 7 when I first played. But I started getting serious at 9."

FAVORITE HOLE: "I like really short par-3s. I like No. 14 on Inverness because I can use the shortest club to get on the green. It goes by faster."

WHY she has BEEN ABLE TO WIN: "Everybody practicing over the summer and we just stay calm, haven't come across many tough people."

STROKES SHE DROPPED IN OFFSEASON: "Six or seven. My average wasn't too good last year. I had lessons and I figured out how to stay consistent with my irons."

HOW SHE haS IMPROVED: "Every time I get up to swing, I have a pattern in my head what I have to remember. Stay down. Make sure my grip is right. Bring the club back in a certain way and make sure to follow through when I'm done."

CHRISTINE BANG

AGE: 17, senior

AVERAGE: 47, No. 4 golfer

GOLF STRENGTH: Her short game. Short iron and chipping

WHAT SHE'S WORKING ON: "My driver. It always goes right."

FAVORITE GOLFER: Sergio Garcia. "He's always been my favorite (professional), but really my dad (Bob Bang) is my favorite. He helps me a lot. He can watch me what I'm doing and telling me what I'm doing wrong. He just tells me little things that helps with my swing. I've never had lessons from anybody else."

FAVORITE HOLE: "Lakeside Golf & Country Club. Hole No. 16. I can drive it over the trees and almost to the green."

WHY SHE STARTED PLAYING: "I've played forever since my dad played and he got us into it when we real little. I had the little plastic clubs. It's fun and it's something our whole family does."

WHAT IT'S LIKE TO PLAY AGAINST HER BROTHER, BOBBY: (Bobby's the No. 1 golfer on the boys team.) "It's fun. He beats me every time, but it's fun. We just joke around a lot when it's just me and him. We take it serious but not as serious if we were trying to score."

STROKES DROPPED THIS SEASON: "Three or four overall to my average."

WHY HAS CITRUS won SO MANY MATCHES: "Because if somebody has a bad day, somebody else can step in and cover for them."

NICKNAME: C-Bang: "It's because of Lauren (Bomke). She made it up because it reminded her of (American Idol's) William Hung. (who impersonated Ricky Martin's song She Bangs.)

JORDAN CONNOR

AGE/year: 16, junior

AVERAGE: 45, No. 3 golfer

BEST PART OF HER GAME: Her short game, chipping and putting. "It's the easiest way to take strokes off your game."

FAVORITE COURSE: Inverness Golf & Country Club. "I'm used to it because I've played it for so long."

FAVORITE CLUB: 5-iron. "I don't like to hit woods and I can hit it just as far as a couple of my woods."

HER BALANCING ACT: Taking advanced placement English and history classes, accounting and working with her dad in his consignment business that handles boats, RVs and trailers.

FAVORITE GOLFER: Tiger Woods. "He's so successful and fun to watch."

HOW OFTEN SHE PLAYS: Almost every weekend with her family. Sometimes there is betting between her and her sister, Ashton. The golfer who shoots the lowest makes the other do her choice of chores.

WORST CHORE SHE haS DONE: Her laundry. "It wasn't fun."

ASHTON CONNOR

AGE/year: 15, sophomore

AVERAGE: 44, No. 5 golfer

GOLFING STRENGTH: Staying out of trouble. "I don't hit the ball long and I'm not great at chipping, but I don't do anything risky that would get me in trouble."

FAVORITE HOLE: No. 4 at Inverness Golf & Country Club. "It's a par-3 over water. When I was little I'd get so mad because I could never make it over the water. I still remember the first time I made it and now it's easy."

FAVORITE GOLFER: "I'm always changing. But right now it's Paula Creamer. She's a really good golfer, she's younger and girlish. Of course I love Tiger, but everybody loves him. I also like Morgan Pressel. It's cool we played against her in the state tournament last year."

FAVORITE CLUB: 3-wood. "I can hit it off the tee and the fairway."

WHY SHE LIKES GOLF: "Because it's something I can do with my family. You never know what to expect. It's always different."

WHAT SHE'S KNOWN FOR: Her lucky charm is a hemp bracelet she made. At first she thought the bracelet might bother her swing, but after shooting 42, then 86, she's left it on for good luck.

WORST CHORE SHE has HAD TO DO WHEN HER SISTER BEATS HER: Washing her truck, inside and out, and mowing the lawn because "we have a push mower."

HER GOLFING ADVICE: "Keep your head down. Every time I hit a bad shot it's because I didn't keep my head down."

BRITTANY ELDRIDGE

AGE: 15, Sophomore

AVERAGE: 47, No. 6 golfer

BEST PART OF HER GAME: "My drives are long."

WHY SHE STARTED GOLFING THIS YEAR: "I live near the golf course and I've been friends with Ashton (Connor), Lauren (Bomke) and Jordan (Connor). I've always been friends with them so I decided to give it a shot this year. I wanted to try something new."

WHAT IT'S BEEN LIKE: "It's fun. I've learned a lot and the coaching is a great. My first match I shot a 61, now I'm down in the 40s."

HOW A CLUB COMPARES TO SOFTBALL BAT: "My power from softball helps with my drive but its hard to go back and forth. Now that I have my golf swing down I've been doing pretty well. Golfing takes a lot more skills because in softball anyone can get out in a couple weeks. Golf takes a lot longer to get the touch down, and there are a lot more rules in golf."

FAVORITE GOLFERS: Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. "My grandfather got me into Woods when I was little and I've always watched with him on nights he plays. Phil Mickelson ...because I've heard his name since he is one of my grandfather's favorites."

GRANDFATHER'S DRILLS: "He likes to make little putting drills, like sticking a tee in the ground and having me putt to it. When you remove the tee and put into the hole, it makes the hole seem a lot bigger."

[Last modified October 9, 2006, 19:34:18]