The Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School golf team traveled more than 4,200 miles from Sarasota to Scotland this month and became the first U.S. team ever to compete in the World School Games. The Cougars didn’t just make an appearance. Shane Russell, Chase Adams, and Callahan Peloquin all finished in the top 13 out of 88 boys’ golfers, while sophomore Brooke Stevens won the Senior Girls Championship for 2026.
The Scottish wind turned out to be the toughest opponent of the week. Players said the gusts were so strong that Florida conditions felt mild by comparison, with one describing the challenge as hurricane-level. Their strategy on every shot was simple: test the wind. Back home on the Suncoast, we know a thing or two about weather, but this was a different beast entirely.
What the team brought home might matter more than the scores. Reporters interviewed them on the course, spectators treated them like celebrities, and the players stayed humble through all of it. In their own words, they didn’t play their best, but they definitely gave the USA a good name. The team is already setting its sights on returning stronger next year. Which local team or athlete deserves a shoutout for representing the Suncoast this well? Let us know in the comments.
