The first-ever girl's golf team at Charles Henderson High School has made a strong impression on the Alabama golf community.

Alyson Mitchell, Haley Sanders and Allison Jacobs have all competed with the boy's team at CHHS before, but have never had a team they could call their own.

&uot;It's great having our own team and being able to compete against other girl's teams now,&uot; Mitchell said. &uot;We didn't mind competing with the guys, it's just more fun playing against other girls.&uot;

The team has had a series of strong finishes at competitions in Cullman, Ala. and at the Trojan Invitational in Troy.

&uot;We finished second at Cullman and two of us placed in the top five,&uot; Mitchell said. &uot;We also finished second at the Trojan Invitational and I placed first individually there.&uot;

Of the three girls on the team, Mitchell has been playing the longest and her days as a member of the team are about to come to a close.

&uot;I'm a senior this year and I'll be graduating very soon,&uot; Mitchell said. &uot;I've had a lot of fun here and now I get to go play golf at Birmingham Southern.&uot;

Mitchell has received a full scholarship to BSC for her abilities as a golfer. She'll be a member of the BSC women's golf team beginning in the fall.

&uot;I'm excited about playing there, but I want to finish this year strong before I get to that point,&uot; Mitchell said.

The other girls agree with Mitchell about finishing strong, and their most challenging task is just ahead.

&uot;All we've got left now is the state competition,&uot; Sanders said. &uot;We've been practicing really hard for it and I think we're going to do fine.&uot;

The girls' strongest finish to date was at the sectionals competition where they managed to place first as a team.

&uot;We didn't expect to win sectionals,&uot; Jacobs said. &uot;That was the biggest surprise so far this year.&uot;

The girls have confidence in their abilities but so do a few other people as well.

&uot;I knew they'd do just fine,&uot; Tony Mitchell, the golf pro at the Troy County Club and Alyson's father, said. &uot;They're all a lot better at playing than they'll actually admit.&uot;

Mitchell said he knew his daughter was going to be a golfer &uot;since she was 2.&uot;

&uot;She saw me and her brother Eric playing and she just had to get in on it,&uot; Mitchell said. &uot;Then it turned out she had a naturally strong swing and a real love of the game so it really made me proud.&uot;

According to Mitchell, the girls have a busy practice schedule and a real will to win.

&uot;They come out to the country club everyday to practice,&uot; Mitchell said. &uot;Even on weekends they come out here to work on their game.&uot;

Sanders and Jacobs are the younger members of the team and will be sad to see their teammate leave after this season.

&uot;We've enjoyed playing with her and we just hope that somebody else will come along who loves the game as much as we do and is as dedicated as we are,&uot; Sanders said.

The state competition will be held at Robert Trent Jones Golf Course in Auburn on May 9 and 10.