Gallery by Brad Davis
Shady Spring head golf coach Greg Daniel felt like his team had a good chance to repeat as Class AA state champions this year.
The tricky part for the Tigers would be earning one of two qualifying spots at the always difficult Region 3 Golf Tournament held Monday at Grandview Country Club.
Mission accomplished for the defending champs.
Herbert Hoover was the regional champions with a score of 231, but Shady Spring was able to punch its ticket back to Wheeling with a three-stroke win over Westside.
“The kids played hard, but we didn’t play our best,” Daniel said. “However, that is a good sign when you don’t play well, and you can still move on. I know they got tired of hearing me preach, keep grinding, keep grinding, but they kinda did today. I think that was the difference.”
Tanner Vest led the Tigers with a round of 76, followed by Zach Smith at 83, Jordy Townley shot 89 and Hayden Wood came in with a 92.
“We have been there three years in a row and I have been on all three of the times,” Townley said. “It is a great feeling and I was hoping we would go out and play good today. I know Tanner and me both feel like we played bad, but our third-seed, Zach Smith really showed out for us. That was what we needed.”
Although Vest and Townley felt like they didn’t have their best games Monday, their ability to grind through the rough patches made the difference for the Tigers.
“We both were definitely grinding,” Townley said. “I had a couple of holes where I really thought I was out of them. I just kept my head down and remembered the basics.”
One of the holes where the senior looked to be in trouble was the par-5, 17th hole.
“On hole No. 17 I had about a 20-foot putt for par after a crappy chip up the hill. I putted it up there and kinda hoped and prayed,” Townley said, smiling. “I knew it was a good read and I put some good speed on it. It rolled in.”
After a runner-up finish in the regional last year, Herbert Hoover entered Monday as the tournament favorite.
Returning every member from last year’s state tournament team, the Huskies cruised to a 17-shot victory.
Bryson Beaver led Hoover with a two-under par round of 70, which also earned him low medalist honors on the day.
Beaver was followed by Max Bowen at 80, Sawyer Osbourn with an 81 and Sam Phillips at 86.
“This is an awesome feeling. I knew we were a pretty good team and I felt like we had a good chance to win, but golf is a crazy game. One shot here or there, it can go south quick,” Herbert Hoover head coach Eddie Gray said. “We had four solid scores. Our first three kinda played lights out today. Max and Sawyer both had solid rounds and could have been in the 70’s outside of a bad putt and a couple tough holes.”
Monday was a sharp contrast for Beaver compared to last year where he struggled mightily in regional play.
“He got as little redemption from last year,” Gray said. “Bryson did struggle a little. If I remember correctly, I don’t think we counted his score last year. At one point today he was four-under (par) before he had a bad hole. He bounced back and threw a dart in on 18 to earn low medalist honors.”
Beaver started fast and was rolling in birdies all day despite the windy conditions.
“I was hot. I made two birdies in a row and got it to four-under par before I bogeyed nine. I came back and birdied 10, but I hit one (out of bounds) on No. 13 and made double-bogey,” Beaver explained. “I hit one in the weeds on No. 17 and made another bogey, but I put one in tight on 18 and made the putt. It’s always nice to have a kick-in on 18.”
Tanner Walls from Westside and Ben Marsh from Nicholas County earned the two individual spots in the state tournament with rounds of 71 and 75 respectively.
“It was a tough day, and the wind was blowing hard. I had to really focus on where the wind was going today because my driver got me in a little bit of trouble,” Walls said after his one-under par round.
After qualifying for the state tournament as a freshman and as a sophomore, Walls missed out on the trip to Wheeling last year.
The Renegade senior was humbled for one last shot at the state tournament environment.
“All the glory to God. It really is,” Walls said. “Last year, it was a bunch of bad luck, bit it happens. “I have been truly blessed this year.”
Marsh’s journey to Wheeling appeared to be derailed just two holes into his round when a bad shot on No. 2 left him four-over par with 16 holes to play.
“I got off to a really bad start. I hit my (drive) right down the middle on No. 2, but I caught the second shot a little fat and dropped it in the water,” Marsh said. “You will have those shots and you just have to rebound from it.”
Rebound may be an understatement. With Grandview’s toughest holes still in front of him, Marsh played the final holes in one-under par to secure his first ever trip to the state tournament.
“After the bogey, triple start, I was a little down. Honestly though, I got back up after I made some pars and got a birdie,” Marsh said. “I was in a couple of bad positions on No. 10 and I got under a tree on 16, but I pulled through. Besides the first two holes, I would say I played pretty well.”
The state golf tournament is 36-hole event and will be held at the Speidel Golf Course at Oglebay Park in Wheeling on Oct. 5-6.
Results
Team scores (Top three players comprise the team score)
Herbert Hoover 231, Shady Spring 248, Westside 251, Nicholas County 264, Wyoming East 291, Independence 294, Liberty 375.
Individual Score
Low medalist: Bryson Beaver (HH) 70
HH: Bryson Beaver 70, Sawyer Osbourn 81, Max Bowen 80, Sam Phillips 86
SS: Tanner Vest 76, Zach Smith 83, Jordy Townley 89, Hayden Wood 92
W: Tanner Walls 71, Kerri-Ann Cook 83, Owen Haman 111, Ryan Anderson 97
NC: Ben Marsh 75, Maddox Smallwood 88, Andrew Triplett 106, Cole Brown 101
WE: Jacob Cochran 79, Caleb Simmons 98, Brady Biggs (WD), Hunter Walker 114
I: Cody Blake 82, Andy Lester 90, Brady Rodgers 122, Tyler Barr 124
L: Landon Hall 107, Carson Turner 143, Michael Howerton 141, Maggie Asbury 135
Bluefield: Trentin Swagger 128, Jacob Lange 134
