Golf season in the Ranch Cities has reached the back nine, with the golf teams from Pilot Point, Aubrey and Tioga high schools competing at their respective district tournaments at the end of March and beginning of April.
The Pilot Point Lady Cats finished third overall, and the Bearcats placed fifth at the District 10-3A Golf Tournament played at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma, and the Decatur Country Club, with two team members, Adisyn Johnson and Hank David, qualifying for the regional tournament.
“Round one at WinStar wasn’t our best,” Pilot Point head golf coach Rick Baker said. “The kids were a little hesitant, and they went in a little afraid, [but] they turned things around in the second round. In Decatur, where they played [on Day 2], the course was a little nicer, and the weather was a lot nicer. The kids were much more confident, and both teams superseded expectations for their scores.”
Johnson, who is in her second season of competitive play, was the top performer for the Lady Cats with a combined score of 197.
“I’ve been pretty consistent with my scores,” she said. “I’ve been shooting 99 or 98 in every tournament we’ve been to, and while I feel like I could’ve shaved [off] a few strokes in certain areas, I thought I performed well.”
David, who was the top performer for the Bearcats with a total score of 158, said he’s excited to have the opportunity to keep playing the sport he loves.
“My goal is obviously to make it to state and try to get a title there, but I’m just excited to go play some golf and compete,” he said.
Baker said the short game will be key for both Johnson and David on the regional stage.
“I want to see fewer putts from them and better approaches onto the green,” he said. “The long-distance stuff will come when they start learning their clubs, but the inside game, that’s where you win a hole, and I think they can do that. I saw great improvement in that from everyone at district, especially Adisyn and Hank.”
Johnson and David will take part in the Region 2-3A Regional Golf Tournament at Oakhurst Golf Course in Tyler, with the girls competing on Monday and Tuesday and the boys competing on Wednesday and Thursday.
The Aubrey Chaparrals competed at the District 9-4A Golf Tournament hosted at WestRidge Golf Course in McKinney, with two golfers, Luke Bartel and Jackson Polen, finishing in the Top 10.
“We knew that our district was going to be very competitive,” Aubrey head golf coach Tyler Walterscheid said. “… We knew we had to shoot well after Day 1. As a team, we were behind, but we still had two guys in contention. Day 2 was windy and didn’t start off well, but we relaxed. Luke battled but had some costly [misses], but Jackson was able to finish things off strong.”
Bartel, the lone senior on the Chaps golf team, finished eighth at the event with a combined total of 179.
Polen finished fifth with a combined score of 173 and earned a spot at the regional tournament.
“It was hard fighting the wind, so I could’ve done better, but I was able to sneak into regionals, which is good,” Polen said. “… I'm excited for the opportunity, and I hope I can shoot well and hopefully make it to state.'
Walterscheid shared his excitement at seeing Polen compete on the regional stage.
“This is Jackson's first year, so I'm looking forward to seeing what he can get out of playing at a high level with good competition,” he said. “He's a very good golfer, and he's going to learn each [time] that he goes out. He’s a three-sport athlete— he plays football in the fall, and then he comes out and plays baseball and golf at the same time, so for him to be able to put in all that extra work to be able to go to regionals is awesome.”
Polen will compete at the UIL 4A Region II Regional Golf Tournament Wednesday and Thursday at Van Zandt Country Club in Canton.
The Tioga Bulldogs’ golf program competed at the District 2A District Golf Tournament at the Gainesville Municipal Golf Course, with the boys team finishing third overall and two team members, Zander Zafar and Emerson Moore, qualifying for the regional tournament.
“Our girls played well,” Tioga head golf coach Ragan Smith said. “We would have advanced if we would have had a fourth, but we had some injuries happen, and some people were not able to compete, so we took the three girls that could compete, and Emerson got second overall. Our boys [also] played really well. They came in third by one stroke, so it was tough to lose that close to another team, but overall, I was really proud of everyone.”
Zafar and Moore both placed second overall in their divisions, with Zafar finishing with a score of 74 and Moore finishing with a score of 91.
Moore, who is in her first season, said she was happy with her performance and credited her teammates for helping her stay calm on the field.
“I could have done better, but I had some good holes and good drives,” she said. “I almost drove a couple of [shots] to the green, but things went well. My teammates were really encouraging and nice, and that's what I loved about playing with them …, but I hope I play well at regionals, so I have a chance of making it to state.”
Zafar, who is making his third appearance on the regional stage, said he hopes to replicate his performance from last year.
“Last year I shot a 65 and a 70, and hopefully, I can do the same thing,” he said.
Smith, who is in her first year at the helm of Tioga golf, expressed her eagerness to see her two proteges return to the green at the regional tournament.
“I'm looking forward to watching Emerson do what she loves on Monday and Tuesday and seeing Zander do the same on Wednesday and Thursday,” she said. “… Coach [Zach] Birdwell's thing is just to show up and compete in everything we do, and it's fun to watch our kids compete when they love what they're [doing], so I'm excited to see them give it all they have and do the best they can.”
The 2A Region II Golf Tournament will be hosted at the Old Brickyard Golf Course in Ferris, with the girls’ playing Monday and Tuesday and the boys competing Wednesday and Thursday.
