Four Cardinal Mooney High School golfers became the first U.S. competitors in World School Games golf history when they teed off in St. Andrews, Scotland, Sept. 14-16.

Sophomore Brooke Stevens won the senior girls division by 35 strokes, carding a three-round total of 21-over-par 237 across three courses in St. Andrews and Ladybank. Three boys joined her on the trip: sophomore Chase Adams finished ninth in senior boys stroke play at 31-over-par 247, junior Shane Russell placed 10th at 37-over-par 253 and sophomore Callahan Peloquin came in 13th at 45-over-par 261.

The field included 85 golfers from 23 schools representing 17 nationalities across four continents, according to the World School Games. The United States, the Cayman Islands and Belgium all sent competitors for the first time.

A newsletter ad sparked a two-year plan

Boys coach Robby Robertson set the trip in motion roughly two years before the championship after spotting the tournament in a National Golf Course Owners Association newsletter. He called girls coach Tara McClean, and the two decided their program had to be there, as Your Observer first reported.

Robertson and McClean co-founded a golf booster club at Cardinal Mooney, held a fundraising tournament at Calusa Country Club in Lakewood Ranch and launched a GoFundMe on Feb. 28 that raised $8,180. They also needed approval from the school and the Diocese of Venice before the plan could move forward.

Not every Cougar qualified.

Players had to carry a nine-hole average of 40 or under during the 2025 season. Stevens, Adams, Russell and Peloquin met the standard.

Scottish wind tested the Cougars

The team arrived in Scotland on Sept. 10, four days before competition. Stevens said the moment did not sink in until she stepped off the bus at Fairmont St. Andrews for a practice round.

"It didn't hit me that we were there until we were actually at the course," Stevens said. "I was like, 'Oh wow, OK, we're here.'"

Conditions tested the players. Round 2 on the Kittocks Course at Fairmont St. Andrews brought wind gusts of 35 to 42 mph, according to Stevens. Adams said he played well on the first and third days despite limited time to adapt but called the second round rough.

McClean, who nicknamed Stevens "The Scientist" for her methodical approach, said the sophomore follows a formula on the course and executes it every time. That consistency produced the 35-stroke margin in the senior girls field.

Dubai school proposes a Ryder Cup-style match

The trip left a mark beyond the scorecard. After the championship, a school team from Dubai reached out to Cardinal Mooney about organizing a Ryder Cup-style match next summer. The World School Games golf championship is set to return to Scotland in 2027.