Rangers’ Mason Wilson grabs low score in Upper District 1 preview
Published 3:27 pm Thursday, August 29, 2024
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Bulldog Cash Royston looks to get the ball on the green on the 10th hole at EGC.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Unaka's Chris Wilson looks to power out of the rough.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Happy Valley's Jayden Emerson hits a nice approach shot on the 14th hole.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel With temperatures in the low and mid-90s on the course, any bit of relief was welcomed as Johnson County's Cayden Blevins finds a bit of shade.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Ranger Laikyn Stevens hopes her ball sits as she hits her pitching wedge.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Hampton's Parker Williams comes out of the tee box strong on the 15th hole.
Star Correspondent/Ron Marvel Happy Valley's Colton Pemberton looks to salvage par on the 17th hole.
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By Ron Marvel
Star Correspondent
Temperatures in the low and mid-90s didn’t stop seven schools from showing up Wednesday afternoon for 18 holes of golf in Elizabethton. Despite the heat, some good-quality scores were turned in, including Unaka’s own Mason Wilson, who took low score honors with a one-under-par on the day. Most golfers would be smiling from ear to ear with that type of performance, but Wilson, the Milligan University commit, sees room for improvement. “It’s up and downs, right? If I can stick the fairway, I can do OK. I struggled on the front but battled back on the back 9. I want to make a run at state, but I have to work some on my short game,” Wilson shared.
Happy Valley’s head coach, Gene Renfro, admired the tenacity shown by all the teams. “Always a good day when we can get in 18 holes. I admired all the teams for pushing through the heat. Our team had several golfers who achieved personal bests, so you have to like that too,” Renfro added. On the boys’ side, besides Wilson’s one-under, Happy Valley’s Colton Pemberton shot an 81, while Hampton’s Parker Williams hit an 86, and Ezra Tolley hit an 88 on the day. As far as team scores go, University High hit a scorching 328, with Hampton coming in second with a 370, and Johnson County taking third with a 373.
On the girls’ side, Unicoi’s Marlee Cornett took honors with an 87, and Happy Valley’s Cayden Anderson finished the day in third place with a score of 92. Team honors went to Tri-Cities Christian, tacking up a score of 178. Happy Valley’s girls finished the day in second, with the team of Anderson and Grace Hollifield hitting a 190. Post-match, Hampton head coach Justin Lyons reflected on the day: “I feel like we are doing good as a team. We are eliminating the nonsense strokes, and we are a very young team, so that gives me hope for the next few years as they progress from here,” Lyons exclaimed.
