Rota freshman Bellamy Rawles drives off the No. 9 tee at Woodlawn Golf Course during a DODEA-Europe playoff round on Sept. 17, 2026, on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany – Rota’s Bellamy Rawles hadn’t come close to hitting a hole in one on a golf course in her life before stepping onto Woodlawn Golf Course on Thursday.
And the freshman didn’t expect that to change during the DODEA-Europe playoff round, especially not when she stepped up to the 110-yard par-3 Hole No. 5.
Rawles selected her 56-degree wedge to use at the tee and hit a high, looping shot. The ball landed on the green, rolled a few feet and dropped into the pin.
“I was excited,” Rawles said of hitting the hole-in-one. “I can’t wait to tell my parents.”
Before her parents found out, Rawles announced herself to the rest of DODEA-Europe.
The Admiral freshman totaled 29 points on the modified Stableford scoring system on Thursday, which puts her in contention for an individual title when the European championships are played on the same golf course on Oct. 7-8.
The scoring system awards points based on a player’s performance on each hole.
Her total was the top girls score against athletes from Alconbury, Kaiserslautern, Lakenheath, Naples and Spangdahlem. Kaiserslautern senior Mackenzie Dager was close behind with 26 points, while fellow Raider senior Omarah Butler and Lakenheath junior Cristabelle Avalos tied for third at 21.
The best average scores over the two playoff rounds will qualify for the Euros. The cut will be determined following the second playoff on Sept. 24.
Kaiserslautern senior Wesley Manson hits out of the woods on Hole No. 8 at Woodlawn Golf Course during a DODEA-Europe playoff round on Sept. 17, 2026, on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Naples’ Jayden Ferguson chips onto the No. 10 green at Woodlawn Golf Course during a DODEA-Europe playoff round on Sept. 17, 2026, on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Lakenheath senior Kiarra Taylor eyes her path through the trees on the No. 18 hole at Woodlawn Golf Course during a DODEA-Europe playoff round on Sept. 17, 2026, on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Lakenheath junior Tyler Korell watches his putt on the No. 8 green at Woodlawn Golf Course during a DODEA-Europe playoff round on Sept. 17, 2026, on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Rota’s Gia Pressley-Burts hits the ball on the No. 8 fairway at Woodlawn Golf Course during a DODEA-Europe playoff round on Sept. 17, 2026, on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Naples’ Parker Langton drives off the No. 8 tee at Woodlawn Golf Course during a DODEA-Europe playoff round on Sept. 17, 2026, on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Kaiserslautern sophomore David McAdams places his ball on the No. 18 green at Woodlawn Golf Course during a DODEA-Europe playoff round on Sept. 17, 2026, on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Spangdahlem junior Caleb Harrell chips onto the No. 18 green at Woodlawn Golf Course during a DODEA-Europe playoff round on Sept. 17, 2026, on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
One of the few not surprised by Rawles’ coming out party was her coach, Kimberly Burts.
The mentor saw Rawles’ skills as an eighth-grader when she played at Rota’s home course in Spain. The now-freshman produced numerous scores in the high 20s last year, so Thursday’s performance was par for the course.
Burts especially praised Rawles’ ability to adapt to a new environment for the first time. She mentioned the Rota course doesn’t have water hazards and trees. Yet Rawles put her approach shot over the water hazard on the No. 8 hole onto a good spot on the green.
And then birdied the hole.
“Her potential has definitely been there since Day 1,” Burts said. “(Rawles) consistently every time addresses the ball and no matter the course, she maintains the skill level, the mental ability to keep, going to keep going, to understand what needs to happen at the tee all the way to the green.”
Not that everything went Rawles’ way.
She said her putting let her down at times on Thursday, and that’s something she will seek to improve ahead of the second round at Wiesbaden, where the rest of the field – Black Forest Academy, Hohenfels, Ramstein, Stuttgart, Vilseck and the host Warriors – competed on Thursday.
Still, Rawles admitted she has high expectations for herself, even if this year doesn’t end with her on top of the podium.
“I’m excited for future years, when I get better,” Rawles said.
Alconbury junior Olivia Ferdinandsen follows her putt on the No. 8 green at Woodlawn Golf Course during a DOEDA-Europe playoff round on Sept. 17, 2026, on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Lone Dragon takes flight
Alconbury, which has one of the smallest enrollments in DODEA-Europe, isn’t exactly a dominant force in golf. In fact, the Dragons aren’t even listed on the schedule this season.
But Olivia Ferdinandsen single-handedly is bringing the Dragons to the links.
The junior transferred from Kaiserslautern and now competes for Alconbury. On Thursday, she stood out with her white cap with the school’s logo of a capital A with a dragon in front of it – the lone Dragon on the course.
“I think it’s cool that I get to represent my school. It feels special to me,” Ferdinandsen said.
To prepare for competition, the junior has received help from DODEA’s other England-based school.
Twice a week, Ferdinandsen travels an hour east to Lakenheath, where she practices with coach Grant Severts and the Lancers. Severts said the Lancers welcomed her with open arms and tried to make her feel like part of the team despite representing Alconbury.
That includes coming up with the moniker “Lakenbury” with her around.
“We think it’s awesome to have a kid that’s dedicated, that wants to play golf that much where they’re willing to travel to work with us,” Severts said.
“It’s been really cool to see the kids accept her and bring her in, and we’ve formed this special team, for lack of a better word. It’s a really cool dynamic. We feel like one team but also want to make sure she feels special representing Alconbury.”
The player credited the Lancers for creating a welcoming environment for her. She also praised Severts for helping her improve her chipping and putting games.
On Thursday, Ferdinandsen was back at her old stomping grounds at Woodlawn Golf Course. She scored 14 points over 18 holes – better than either of her two round scores at last year’s European championships, where she scored 11 and 13 points, respectively.