Burlington Williams finishes second in 3-A prep championship
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By EDDIE SOUTHARDS
he Burlington Williams team and Parker Chavis of South Rowan made strong runs at winning state titles in the 3-A men’s high school golf championship. But both had to settle for second place finishes at Foxfire Golf Club & Resort. Williams improved by 21 shots in the second round of the 36-hole event. The Bulldogs shot 303 in the second round, after opening with a 324, to finish 12 shots behind winner Marvin Ridge. Williams was led by freshman Garrett Clark, who tied for the best round of the tournament with a 70 in the second round. He managed that despite bogeying the last hole. He shot 79-70 for a 147 total that also gave him a tie for fifth place in the individual standings. “I didn't play that well the first day and I left a few out there in the second round,” said Clark, who made five birdies in his final round. “But all in all, I can't complain. Making the state tournament was the goal as a team. We wanted to win it but we wanted, at least, to come in the top three.” Senior Walker Beck shot 154, junior Grayson Butler had a 167 and senior Kaison King and junior Harrison Stuart each shot 173 to tie for the fourth team score. “We played extremely well,” said Williams coach Tommy Cole. “Three of my players cut nine shots off their scores from the first round.” The Bulldogs trailed first-round leader Tuscola by 12 shots. “You don't want to get too far behind the first day,” Cole said. “We saw the scores and they were awfully high (after the first round). We were back 12 shots and it might have been too much. I told the boys, ‘if we don't win it, let's finish second.’ We threw a solid number out there at 303.” Cole was effusive in his praise of Clark, who will lead a strong nucleus back next year for the Bulldogs. “He's got a bright, bright future,” Cole said. “He has a great swing, great technique and great fundamentals. He's going to get stronger attitude-wise and mentally tougher. He's just a baby right now but he's going to be a player. He's a talent.” Cole just finished his 33rd year as the golf coach at Williams and called himself
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TRIAD GOLF TODAY • JUNE 2017
“the Mike Krzyzewski of high school golf.” He has won three state championships and finished second seven times. “I've been blessed,” said Cole, who also has won 24 conference titles. “There's not a whole lot I do. I get them to the golf course about an hour ahead of time.” He also jokingly explained how he puts a team together. “The first cut is if I beat them they don't make the team,” he said. “The second cut is I just play with their mind and try to get them mentally tough. It's a great game but it can rip you apart if you let it.” Chavis proved he was mentally strong in his bid to win the state individual title. He led after the first round with an evenpar 72. Then he was locked in a tense 5-hour battle with two playing partners in the second round. Chavis, Parker Boyette of Wilson Fike and Dalton Mauldin of Lee County were tied for the lead on the par-3 17th tee. But Chavis fell one shot behind when he missed a short par putt.
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“I had a lot of nerves on the tee and I hit a bad 5-iron short right,” he said. “I chipped to 5 feet but I missed the putt.” Chavis knew he needed a birdie on the 18th hole. He hit a 3-wood off the tee of the 390-yard hole in the first round but this time he went with driver, risking hitting it through the fairway of the dogleg. “I was trying to put pressure on the other guys,” he said. “I put it in the fairway and had a good number of 145 yards with a 9-iron.” Chavis hit a good shot to about 10 feet but he missed the birdie putt. He ended up tied for second with Mauldin when Boyette birdied the last hole to win by two shots. Chavis shot 72-73 for a 1-over 145. “Parker played the best he has all year,” said South Rowan coach Steve Beaver. “It was so exciting to watch three good players go at it like that in the second round. Nobody ever got more than two shots ahead. It was fun to watch but it was also nerve wracking. That was high school golf at its best.”
Chavis said it was fun to play in the group. “I had a lot of pressure but it was very enjoyable,” he said. “They are both good players. I really wanted to win it. But all you can do is get into contention and see what happens.” Chavis managed a 72 in the first round despite making a double bogey and two bogeys on the par-5 holes. But he balanced that out with five birdies, including three in a row on holes 15 through 17. Chavis had only two birdies in the final round but one of them came on a 40-foot putt on the par-5 12th hole that he called, “the biggest putt of the tournament for me.” Chavis will continue his golf career in the fall at Pfeiffer University. “Pfeiffer is getting a better golfer than they think they are getting,” Beaver said. “Parker is an extremely hard worker. He doesn't play any other sports. He is dedicated to golf. Parker and Pfeiffer should make a good grouping.” Chavis will join his friend, Patrick Street from Carson High School, on the Pfeiffer team. “I'm very excited about it,” Chavis said. “Pfeiffer has a great golf program.” East Rowan finished fourth in the team standings after being the runner-up for two straight years. The Mustangs shot 317-316 for 633 to finish 18 shots behind winner Marvin Ridge. Nick Lyerly, the 2015 individual state champion, led the Mustangs with a 150 total. Other scorers were William Garland (152), Bryson Sprinkle (154) and Alex Miller (179).
Other State Prep Championships
n 2-A at Beacon Ridge, Wilkes Central ran away from the competition to repeat as state champions, beating Lake Norman Charter by 32 shots. Four Wilkes Central players finished in the top 11, including Chandler Metz, who shot a second-round 73 to tie for second behind individual champion Logan McNeely of NewtonConover. McNeely trailed Metz by two shots heading into the final round, but was able to card a 70 – the low round of the championship – to capture the title. South Stokes came in third in the team race, while Forbush finished fourth. At the Country Club of Whispering Pines, Dylon Wooten of Alleghany came in second place in the 1-A championship, losing out by two shots to champion Nick Smith of Union Academy. The 1-A team title went to Lincoln Charter, which took a
12-stroke lead over Community School of Davidson after the first round and were never threatened, winning its first state golf title by 13 shots. Lincoln Charter was led by Justin Morgan who fired a 5-over 149 on his way to a third place finish. Meanwhile, in the independent schools championships, Michael Sanders of Cannon School birdied the second playoff hole to defeat Ryan Gerard of Raleigh Ravenscroft after each had finished 36 holes at 8-under-par at Whispering Pines for the 3-A title. Ravenscoft captured the team title behind Gerard and Quinn Riley, shot 69-70 to come in third. St. David’s captured the 2-A crown, while Jackson Van Paris of O’Neal School shot 70-67 to win the individual title by eight shots. In 1-A, Burlington School was tied with University Christian after the first round, but had to settle for second, losing the team title by three shots. Dustin Blank of Burlington School shot 77-73 to place second in the individual race. www.triadgolf.com