SPRING HILL – As Skylar Muscianese waited for the rest of her teammates to finish up Thursday at Oak Hills Golf Course, she observed a small child accompanying a few adults on a practice tee. It brought back memories of her own golfing roots. “My brothers used to take lessons here with Jim Neely and I guess I used to sit there on that driving range, and Mr. Neely would be helping my brothers, and I’d be sitting there copying them,” Muscianese said.
She began playing competitively at the age of 7, starting a journey that has thus far led to her sophomore year at Nature Coast, where she occupies the top spot in the Lady Sharks’ lineup. On Thursday in Nature Coast’s 183-266 win over Springstead, Muscianese carded a nine-hole round of 46. The Lady Sharks improved to 2-0 in a season hampered by rainouts.
“I feel like I did pretty good,” Muscianese said. “We’ve been doing really good practicing.” As a freshman, Muscianese paced the county in scoring average at 44.4 across 10 matches. She finished second in the Class 2A, District 13 Tournament to Hernando’s Anna Wulff, posting a round of 48-44—92.
In the 2A, Region V Tournament, Muscianese shot 86 over 18 holes but just missed out on a state berth in heartbreaking fashion, losing to Land O’ Lakes’ Estefania Guizar in a seven-hole playoff that bled into a second day. “I would say I improved this year more than I did last year,” Muscianese said. “I’m kind of still playing the same; I have a little here and there where I can improve.”
She specifically focused on bettering her short game, with “a lot of putting, lot of chipping.” “I think Skylar, how her season ended last year, I think she’s motivated,” first-year Nature Coast head coach Dave Pisarick said. “Seeing her work ethic in practice, she’s always one of the first ones there working on her putting or working on the range. She’s always working on her game to try to get better. “I think the way the season ended last year for her, obviously me not being there but reading about it, I know she doesn’t want a repeat of that. She wants to make it to states. She wants to be a district champion, and she’s motivated. I think she’s got all the tools and qualities. She’s got it. She’s just got to be able to put it together at the right time and I think she can do it.”
To that end, Muscianese admits she learned the need for more practice from that regional experience, and has been taking it to heart ever since. “Honestly, I think it’s her work ethic,” Pisarcik said. “She wants to be good. She wants to be the best, and she’s willing to put the work in and she’s determined. I feel like she can be. If she continues to work like she is, she’s going to be something special. “But we’ve also got other teammates to help her out. … If she’s had a bad day, some girl can pick her up. That’s what being on a team is about.”
Even though she has the next three prep seasons in front of her, she’s clearly focused on fulfilling a dream of playing in college. She also wants to study forensics, and will seek out a school that can allow her to pursue both interests. In the meantime, she’s trying to do what she can to lead the Lady Sharks to further success down the line. “We want to win districts,” Muscianese said. “It’s (the regular season) showing us what all we need to work on and prepare for so we can do that.”
