For Athens Drive junior Katherine Perry and Middle Creek senior Courtney Rousse, the competition for Tri-Eight girl’s golfer of the year is both friendly and familiar.

This year, the two have paired off against each other at every conference match, along with the top girl’s golfers from Green Hope and Apex, and Rousse takes a four-stroke lead into the final conference match of the regular season, nine holes at Lochmere today that will determine this year’s player of the year.

But despite the expected tension between the two golfers who always seem to find each other in the other’s way of accolades and glory, a unique friendship has formed from their battles on the golf course. After the conference winner is decided today, the duo will team up on Saturday for the annual Rally for the Cure golf tournament. According to Rousse, the duo’s friendship is evident in how they act toward one another in the heat of competition.

“We’re laughing up and down every fairway and on the greens. We give each other a hard time,” said Rousse. “We don’t shake hands after every round like most people do, we just hug. We just have a good time.”

Perry, a junior, said the fierce nature of each golfer’s spirit toward winning shows also.

“We do beat up on each other a lot when we play. We do joke around a lot,” Perry said. “But it is intense between because we both are very competitive. We both want to win, but that’s not possible.”

A year ago, Perry edged Rousse for player of the year honors. In the state championship tournament, however, Rousse outperformed Perry, ultimately placing second at states while Perry finished 10th. This year, consistency and mental toughness have given Rousse a slight edge.

“Last year if I was down after a couple shots, I would be down on myself and couldn’t pull myself back from it,” Rousse said. “This year, it doesn’t matter if I’m down; I’m going to come back. I know I’m going to come back.”

Part of Rousse’s confidence comes from the fact that she no longer has to worry about college plans. She accepted a scholarship from Richmond University and has been able to focus on “going out with a bang” in her senior year without the pressure and excitement of college coaches watching her matches.

“It’s security and its relaxation. Not knowing where you want to go is frustrating sometimes, so it was really helpful to have that decision made early,” Rousse said.

Athens coach Tony Alcon said it will be difficult for Perry to catch Rousse for player of the year honors today, as she trails by four strokes and only nine holes of play remain in the regular season. The unique thing about Perry, said her coach, is that the success of Athens Drive is more important to her than her individual accomplishments.

Currently, Athens is first in the Tri-Eight and looking to dethrone Green Hope for the regular season title.

“She would love to be conference player of the year again. But she is so into the team concept of golf, that [player of the year] is secondary to her,” said Alcon. “She wants the team to do well and people to advance so we can play a good conference tournament and regionals.”

In Alcon’s six years as girl’s golf coach at Athens Drive, Alcon said without question Katherine Perry is the best player he has coached. She was runner-up for player of the year as a freshman before winning the award last season as a sophomore.

“It’s a running joke that my job is to get her to the matches and from the matches and not mess up anything that she’s working on herself,” Alcon said. “She definitely knows the game and plays the game well.”

The competition between Rousse and Perry will not end with today’s match. Even if Rousse holds on for conference player of the year, the two will meet up again at the conference tournament a week later at Prestonwood to play 18 holes at the conference tournament. Before it is all said and done, the two will likely meet up again in the regional and state tournaments as well, as each girl has a legitimate shot to reign as state champ.

As for today, both players will stick to what has given them success thus far: confidence and an ability to stay mentally cool, despite the bragging rights and accolades that come with edging a friend.

“I’m just going to play like I don’t have any shots on her,” Rousse said. “It just makes it easier on me if I don’t have any shots, then I play like I want to win.”