Ruby Haylock said an advantage of having her dad as her golf coach is consistency.

“It’s good to be able to have one way of learning,” Haylock said. “I haven’t had to change my game.”

No reason why she should, with Haylock being Leavitt Area High’s No. 1 golfer, the co-winner of the girls’ high school state championship, and now our choice as Varsity Maine Girls’ Golfer of the Year.

But will she ever switch coaches?

“Maybe, when I start beating him,” Haylock said with a chuckle.

Haylock, a sophomore, has defeated her father, Harry, a handful of times, starting back in eighth grade.

“He’s usually in a bad mood,” Haylock said, her chuckle turning into laughter. As she enjoyed the conversation, Rudy stood next to her father. “He’s not one to give up.”

Harry Haylock would never purposely let his daughters (Ruby or younger sister Jade) beat him. (“You have to earn it, right?” he said.) But don’t take the “bad mood” comment too seriously. He may not like losing, but when it happens the father/coach is beaming.

“I’m proud,” he said. “I know how much work she puts in.”

The No. 1 golfer on Leavitt’s coed team, she went unbeaten in match play. At the Class B team tournament, Haylock paced the Hornets to a third-place finish with an 81 at Natanis Golf Course in Vassalboro.

Last year, as a freshman, Haylock made her presence known in the girls’ individual state championship, shooting an 81 on the Arrowhead course at Natanis. She placed second, three strokes behind winner Rachel Smith of Greely.

With Smith graduated, Haylock’s prime competition came from one of her teammates – junior Morghan Dutil. Although Dutil shot a 92 in the team championship the week before, she started the individual tournament with an even-par 36 over nine holes, four shots ahead of Haylock.

“I felt like I should have played a lot better on the (first) nine,” Haylock said.

Haylock’s short game has always been a strength, and distance off the tee is improving as she grows older and stronger.

“I’d like to say she has a well-rounded game,” Harry Haylock said. “She has a very calm demeanor. I’ve never seen Ruby get excited over bad shots … she does not get over emotional, where it detracts from her performance.”

Ruby Haylock can turn the page from a bad shot or two, and that is what she did in the state tournament to catch Dutil. Haylock closed to within one shot, then birdied her second-to-last hole, as she landed her approach 5 feet away, read the break and sank the putt. Both Leavitt players shot 75, seven shots ahead of the next golfer.

“I was happy I was able to turn it around,” Ruby Haylock said. “It was special (tying for first), me and my best friend.

“It was a pretty successful year. Our team has been together for only two years. Most everybody is pretty new to the sport. We had high expectations and reached our goals.”

There are more goals in the future for Ruby Haylock: Win more titles, help the team win, earn a college scholarship … and keep beating dad.

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