PINEHURST — The Richmond Senior High School boys’ golf team wrapped up its season with a match at Pinehurst No. 6 on Monday.
Recognizing its four senior golfers on Senior Night, the Raiders also had two individual golfers qualify for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A Mideast regional tournament.
Monday’s fifth-place finish for the Raiders was the final regular-season contest for seniors Ethan Brown, David O’Neal, Chandler Orr and Caleb Talton.
Punching their tickets for the Mideast regional were Brown and junior Ayden Mabe, who will return to the postseason for the second consecutive season. Last year, Richmond qualified as a team.
Among its top four scorers, Richmond posted a score of 414 on Monday, one stroke better than Hoke County High School.
“Always a bit sad to see the season end, and I’m so excited this year we have two players making the regional,” head coach Keith Parsons said.
“Ethan and Ayden have been our leaders all season and they are deserving of playing in the postseason. Both are very familiar with Pinehurst No. 6, so they should be comfortable next week for the regional.”
Playing 18 holes on the Tom and George Fazio designed course, Brown led the Raiders with a final score of 92. He posted a 43 on the front nine, followed by a 49 on the back.
Mabe was second for the Raiders, shooting a 101. He shot a 53 on the front before regrouping and posting a 48 on the final nine holes.
Also contributing to the Raiders’ overall score were Talton, who shot a 104, and O’Neal’s tally of 117. Talton’s scores were a 57 and 47, and O’Neal notched a 61 and a 56.
Two other Raiders, junior Lane Richardson and Orr, also competed on Monday. Richardson shot a 124 (59, 65) and Orr ended his career with a 134 (63, 71).
In order to qualify for the 4A Mideast regional, individual golfers’ top five best nine-hole scores were averaged together.
Brown finished atop the Raiders’ scorecard with a 44.2 average, and Mabe made the cut with a 45.4 average.
Pinecrest High School won the Sandhills Athletic Conference title with a team score of 295, and will send all six of its golfers to the regional to compete as a team. In second place was Union Pines High School (375).
Other team scores from Monday included Lee County (384), Scotland (400) and Southern Lee (468).
Brown and Mabe will compete in the 4A Mideast Regional next Monday at Pinehurst No. 6. Tee times will be announced later this week.
