In two months, golfer Taylor Dedmen went from “just happy to be here” to her new school’s record books. With that came a trip to the FHSAA state championship tournament, which wrapped up Wednesday, Oct. 26.
“I feel pretty amazing,” Dedmen, who plays for Plant City High School, says. “I didn’t expect this to happen this season. I was just expecting to go to a new school and play as best as I could. I didn’t expect to be able to win regionals or shoot the school record.”
Dedmen, a junior, transferred to Plant City High School after two years at Seminole High School. She picked up golf four years ago and began playing competitively when she got to high school. Her grandfather, an avid player, is responsible for getting her into the sport and onto the course. Dedmen says the two have played together nearly every week for the past four years.
“We practice Saturdays and Sundays, usually around eight to 10 in the morning, and then he’ll stay with me for a couple hours,” Dedmen says.
Those weekends help Dedmen hone her skills, which have been put to good use: she helped the girls golf team finish the regular season undefeated and make it to regionals together.
The group, which prides itself on staying relaxed, welcomed Dedmen into its ranks and helped her improve her focus.
“At the beginning of the season, I wasn’t focused. I wasn’t focused on playing well,” Dedmen says. “I was just out there. Now, toward the end of the season, my mind has been straight, and I’ve been able to focus on the tasks I need to complete.”
The last four weeks have been kind to Dedmen. At the end of September, she averaged a 37. In October, at the team’s season-ending match against Lennard, Dedmen shot a 33 in nine holes and broke a long-standing record she didn’t know about.
“That day was pretty crazy,” Dedmen says. “Going into the match, I was like, ‘This will be a pretty good day.’ At the end, when I shot the 33, my coach said, ‘You just shot the school record.’ I was astonished because I didn’t think I was capable of doing that. I had no idea.”
At regionals, Dedmen’s hot streak continued. She won the entire tournament as an individual, finishing with a 72 at Capri Isles Golf Club on Tuesday, Oct. 18.
“I just acted like it was a normal nine-hole match,” Dedmen says. “I didn’t put too much in. I just practiced on the weekend, Saturday and Sunday, I played my game and focused, and that’s what made me shoot low … I didn’t let any bad shots bother me. I just relied on the other holes to bring back the shots that I missed.”
As the only member of her team to make it out of regionals, Dedmen went into the state tournament at Mission Inn and Resort with a specific goal in mind: to place in the top 10.
She tied for 10th overall. On the first day, she shot a 79. On the second day, she shot a 72. Her total score was 151.
The rest of the golf team left school early Wednesday, Oct. 26, to cheer her on during her final hole.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.