The Lake Belton High School Varsity Silver Golf Team recaptured the 16-5A district title at Stonetree Golf Course. After a one-year hiatus the boys posted a two-day total of 630 strokes to win the team’s fifth district title in the last six years. The boys took on extreme wind conditions and course construction to outpace the field by 58 strokes. A sketchy first day had the team a mere 17 strokes ahead of the second-place team, but they tightened up the bolts to stretch the lead by 41 on day two. The team was led by outstanding senior Jackson Null, who had scores of 76 and 74 for a total of 150 and the district champion medal. Jackson’s key moment of the tournament was on the first hole of the second day when he hit a five iron into the wind leaving him 173 yards from the green. He then crushed a seven iron to 10 feet and drained the birdie putt. The hole calmed his nerves and propelled him to victory. Finishing second on the team, Senior Miles Parker’s total of 159 earned him the third-place individual medal for the tournament. Miles’ best play of the tournament was on the par five ninth hole. After a run of three bogies Miles stepped up to the tee box on the long par five with a driver in his hand. He swung and the ball soared over 450 yards to the middle of the fairway. A lob wedge later and his ball was 20 feet to the left of the pin. The ball glanced off a mark in the green and came to rest four inches to the left of the hole. A tap in latter and the bogie train had come to an emphatic stop with a great birdie! Only one stroke behind Miles, Senior Gavin Kerr finished the tournament with fantastic score of 160 strokes, which earned him the fourth-place medal. Gavin had several good moments in the contest, but the fourteenth hole on day two stands out. Gavin crushed a driver down the center of the fairway leaving him 150 yards out. A quick swing of a pitching wedge and the ball landed on the green 25 from home. One swing of the flat stick is all Gavin would need as the ball came to rest in the bottom of the cup. Senior Brayden Hoff finished fourth on the team, and the fifth spot overall. Brayden’s best experience came on the ninth hole on the second day of the tournament. He smashed his drive 320 just past a large tree on the right side of the fairway. His next swing was nine iron 160 yards to pin high, ten feet from the hole. A near-miss lip-out left a tap-in putt for the sure birdie. Rounding out the team score, newcomer freshman Carter Johnson needed only 172 swings finish the tournament in sixth place overall. The best three of those strokes came on the fourteenth hole on the first day when Carter split the fairway with his drive, then nailed the approach shot to 30 feet, and sank the long birdie putt!
The boys next tournament will be the regional tournament in Pottsboro at Tanglewood Golf Course on April 13th and, 14th where they’ll be playing for an opportunity to play in the 5A State Tournament.