HIGH SCHOOL GOLF

GCT senior pulls it together on first playoff hole

CABOT - Dylan Edrington admitted he was nervous, and that was 15 minutes after the Greene County Tech senior had claimed medalist honors at the 5A-East golf tournament.

Edrington rolled in a short par putt on the first playoff hole Tuesday at Greystone Country Club to edge Wynne junior Carson Stewart for the conference’s top award. Edrington and Stewart shot 85s during regulation on the par-72, 6,509-yard course, but Edrington did not enter the playoff with much momentum after shooting 8 over par on his final four holes of regulation.

“I’d like to have those four holes to do over again,” Edrington said. “That was very stressful. I’m still shaking.”

Edrington was 5 over at the midway point and started the back nine on Greystone with four pars and a bogey. He was six strokes ahead of Stewart when the eventual playoff combatants reached the par-4, 364-yard 15th hole. Edrington took an eight on the hole.

“No. 15 really set me back,” Edrington said. “I bogeyed every hole from then on out. I guess it wound up being an average round. I don’t know how else to say it.”

Stewart posted pars on all three of his final holes to force the playoff.

Despite suffering from a bout of nervousness, Edrington hit his approach shot to within seven feet of the pin while Stewart’s second shot was 25 feet from the hole. Stewart three-putted for a bogey. Edrington two-putted for par and the victory.

Wynne won the team title with a 373, three strokes better than Greene County Tech. Paragould finished third at 389. All three will advance to the 5A state tournament at Pine Bluff Country Club in two weeks.

Kristyn Belk of Nettleton and Sydney Layrock of Paragould shared girls medalist honors. Both shot 20-over 92 on the 5,218-yard course. Belk was awarded the medalist trophy when Layrock chose to leave early to play in Paragould’s 5A-East volleyball game against Batesville.

The shot of the day was turned in by Paragould senior Jenna Williams, who aced the 112-yard, par-3, No. 12. Williams finished with a 98.

“I was using a 7-iron,” Williams said. “I saw the ball bounce once and then disappear. I wasn’t sure what had happened, but a girl came up to me and said, ‘Do you know you just hit a hole-in-one?’ I was pretty stunned. I’ve never really come close to anything like that.”

Paragould claimed the girls team title with a 293. Forrest City was second at 319 and Nettleton third at 326. The girls advance to their state tournament next week at the Hot Springs Country Club.

5A-SOUTH Lakeside teams sweep

HOPE - Cameron McRae shot a 71 and Kirsten Garner had a 77 to earn medalist honors and lead Hot Springs Lakeside to a sweep of the boys and girls titles Tuesday at the 5A-South golf tournament at Hope Country Club.

McRae and his teammates advanced to the boys state tournament Oct. 9 at Pine Bluff Country Club. The girls state tournament will be Oct. 2 at Hot Springs Country Club.

Lakeside’s boys team won by 24 strokes and was followed by White Hall (340) and Magnolia (358). The Lakeside girls team shot 253 to capture the conference title, while White Hall (286) finished second and De Queen (306) third. The top three teams advance to the state tournaments.

McRae birdied five of his last six holes to win by 10 strokes over four others, including teammates Chandler Cain and Cade Freeland.

“I had a rough start, but eventually I finally made a putt,” McRae said. “My iron shots helped. I was hitting some good iron shots near the end there.”

It was just the opposite for Garner, who had a seven-shot victory. She struggled with her iron shots but was saved by her short game.

“I missed a lot of greens today, but my chipping made up for it,” Garner said. “My chipping and putting were really good.”

Now it’s back to the familiar home course for the state tournament.

“I think we have a pretty good shot at state,” Garner said. “We’ve been working really hard, and our girls have improved. I think we will do well at state.” - John Cooper

Sports, Pages 23 on 09/25/2013

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