(File photo) Bowling Green's Caroline Powers makes a par putt on hole #10 at Riverby Hills Golf course during NLL tournament. 9/15/08 (Photo: J.D. Pooley/Sentinel-Tribune)

"Her chances of winning are as good as anyone," BG coach Chris Dill said. "I hesitate to say she's the favorite, but I don't know that anybody is any better than her. She's going to be well prepared because she always is, and she's going to be mentally tough because she always is."

Steady improvement
The four-time sectional champion and three-time district winner has steadily improved her game every year.
She plays the regular season as the No. 2 player on the Bobcat boys team since BG doesn't have a girls team. She then plays in the girls tournament since Ohio High School Athletic Association rules don't allow her to play in both.
By playing on the longer and more difficult courses with the boys, Powers has learned to manage her game and make pars consistently.
"They might not always be routine pars ... fairway, approach and two putts, but it forces me to make pars," she said. "Par is a good score because bogeys don't cut it with the boys. I have to figure out a way to make pars, no matter where I'm at, and I've had to try shots I normally wouldn't have had to try with the girls.
"I don't make a lot of big mistakes and I figure out ways to make pars because I've had to do that so many times. I don't make a lot of mistakes that aren't fixable."
Powers - who accepted a full scholarship to Michigan State during her junior year - is long and accurate off the tee, hits her irons close to the hole and putts consistently well.
"Her mental toughness and course management is what separates her from a lot of people," Dill said. "She never gets rattled and she always makes the right decisions. She never hits a shot she's not capable of hitting.
"She's improved every year and that's just from the normal improvement you're going to see out of someone as they get older, and someone who works hard at the game."

Family ties
Powers, who had a nine-hole average of just over 38 this season, has been playing since age 3 when she joined her parents, Buddy and Lindy, on their outings. Her parents are outstanding golfers, and Lindy, is from the golfing Bastel family of Upper Sandusky. Caroline's cousin, Emily Bastel, plays on the LPGA Tour.
Caroline comes from a sports family. Her sister, Barbara, earned a running scholarship to BGSU, and her brother, John, received a golf scholarship to BGSU and also played high school hockey. Buddy Powers was an NCAA head hockey coach at BGSU and Rensselaer.
"I've learned a lot from all of them, just about how to handle things, what it takes to be successful, how to compete," the 17-year-old said. "My dad will keep me in check, that I know I'm just focused on what's going on right now. One shot at a time. If you worry about the end, you won't be focused on the shot you're hitting now."

Hard work
She's also honed her skills with a terrific work ethic. She's on the course almost every day during the golf season, and she's giving up track in the spring to concentrate on golf. She also lifts weights to increase her strength and stamina.
"When she works, she works hard and she goes about every practice with a purpose," Dill said. "She works on her weaknesses and there's no screwing around when she practices."

Solid summer
Powers entered her senior high school season on a roll after a summer of tournament golf that saw her win the Ohio Junior Girls Golf Championship and tie for 23rd in the 156-player U.S. Golf Association national junior girls championship. She played a number of difficult courses and competed against the best 20-and-under players in the country.
She hopes to play on the LPGA Tour some day.
"I definitely watch what other players are doing. I don't have all of the shots and I watch how other players do things," said Powers, who has a 4.3 grade-point average. She's taking math and English classes at BGSU this fall. "I'll see something and then try it to see how it works for me.
"Those tournaments make the state tournament seem like just another tournament. I've been in some high-pressure situations, and I know how not to let it get to me because that can mess you up. I'm always focused on the shot I'm hitting, and not the outcome at the end."