Richmond leads the way for Cougs

When Darcie Richmond was 14 years old, she played in her first official golf tournament at Gold Mountain and Trophy Lake Golf Course in Bremerton.

She finished dead last.

“I played really horribly,” Richmond recalled, almost blushing. “I got into a sand trap, and it took me 11 to get out. And I had never been in the sand before, so it was just traumatic — I was crying.”

She hasn’t finished last in too many tournaments since then.

Now a senior at Bothell High, Richmond is one of the best golfers in the state. Essentially a scratch golfer (technically a .8 handicap), Richmond placed fifth in Class 4A last year and is already guaranteed a spot at the University of Washington next year, a rare honor for a Kingco player.

Richmond led the Cougars to wins in their first three matches before running into the Redmond train, a team that is the overwhelming favorite to win its fifth straight undefeated league title. But after coming back to beat Garfield, a 4-1 start is a strong beginning for a young Cougar team.

“We have a great team this year,” Richmond said. “They are really young and we are just having a really fun time. They are not as serious about the game as I am. They are not planning on going on to college or anything. So it’s just been really fun to hang out with the girls. They are really into improving, so I am here to help them improve and it’s really great to help out.”

Richmond is clearly the leader, and a great leader at that, said second-year coach Shawn McGinn.

“Just as important as her golf skills, is she is just a great person,” McGinn said. “Really high-quality person and I couldn’t say enough about her.”

McGinn, who also gave a lot of credit to assistant coach Steve Cottonair for bringing more than 20 years in coaching experience to the program, said Richmond has helped out with everything from team shirts to the girls on the course.

Richmond said she enjoys those extra duties, and they are just part of the responsibility of being a captain and standout golfer.

“I feel like I’m kind of like a leader out there,” Richmond said. “So I want to set a good example for the young team that we do have, so taking charge with little things like the shirts, or just helping out on the golf course, it will pass on the next few years after I graduate.”

But Richmond is still around at Bothell with unfinished business to take care of. She has improved each of the last three years at state, moving up from 13th to 10th to fifth last season, and hopes to do that one more time.

“It was just a really successful year (last year) and I felt really accomplished afterward,” Richmond said. “When you (do so well) at state, it’s just a really nice feeling because we have such a competitive 4A league, and so it was really great to place up there with the top girls. And I’m hoping this year to improve a little bit, possibly win it.”

Richmond thinks that is a possibility, even though several of the top competitors — including Kamiak’s Seo Hee Moon, the reigning state champion, and Bethel’s Sadena Parks, who finished tied for second — are back.

Richmond and Parks will actually be teammates next year at Washington, which was Richmond’s top choice for schooling.

“I’ve always dreamed about going to the University of Washington,” said Richmond, who has been promised a spot and doesn’t have to try out.

Richmond didn’t get a scholarship at Washington, but is getting the majority of it paid for through the prestigious Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship. The Evans Scholars are picked based off several criteria, including a strong caddie record, excellent academics and outstanding character. Richmond, who has caddied at Overlake Golf and Country Club, was one of just seven from the state of Washington — and the only 3A or 4A Kingco golfer — to receive such an honor.

Richmond is going to try her hand at qualifying for the U.S Open this year, but needs to navigate through a tough regional and sectional field in order to do so. Whether she does or not, she will be playing at Washington next year, which means she will have to set a new goal for herself.

“I’ve definitely been working my whole life toward a golf scholarship and just to get into college,” Richmond said. “But at this point, I am just trying to see how the golf experience goes in college. And if things go well, then being a professional (Ladies Professional Golf Association) is definitely something I would love doing.”

It helps that she now knows how to get out of a sand trap.

• For more golf, see page 16.