PINEHURST – On Monday, the girls golf teams from the Sandhills Athletic Conference closed out their weather-plagued 2018 season at Pinehurst Resort. For several of the SAC golfers, the final match was a must if they wanted to compete in next week’s regionals, which will also be played in Pinehurst.
Fortunately, Monday was a near perfect weather day at Pinehurst No. 3, allowing the conference golfers to complete an 18-hole match for only the second time this season. Unfortunately, Richmond senior Natalie Davis was unable to attend, putting her postseason hopes in jeopardy.
Because of heat, thunderstorms and Hurricane Florence, golfers from the conference only managed to complete 18 of the season’s first scheduled 72 holes. This made meeting the qualifying requirements for the regionals complicated.
According to Brad Alford, NCHSAA director of sports and championships, the qualifying standard is based on a golfer’s five best nine-hole scores. The first two matches of the season held at Bayonet Golf Course in Raeford and at Gates Four Country Club in Fayetteville were shortened to nine-hole matches due to heat and rain, respectively. Weeks three and four were canceled because of Hurricane Florence and a thunderstorm. This sent many playoff hopefuls into the final two matches with only two of the necessary five 9-hole scores needed to participate.
The weather cooperated during last week’s match at Scotch Meadows Country Club in Laurinburg, allowing a full 18-hole day for the first time all season. If necessary, the Scotch Meadows match could be split into two nine-hole scores giving the golfers four nine-hole scores heading into Monday’s finale in Pinehurst.
Davis and junior Hailey Miller each qualified for regionals last year. Miller, the team’s leading scorer, easily punched her return ticket to regionals following Monday’s match. Davis, on the other hand, was shooting well enough to qualify, but only had three nine-hole scores to submit to the NCHSAA (18 holes at Scotch Meadows, 9 holes at Bayonet).
It took some cooperation between the SAC coaches and Pinehurst Resort, but Davis got her chance. Because of all of the shortened and canceled matches, a special 18-hole match was played on Tuesday for those SAC golfers who had either qualified for regionals or had a chance to qualify for regionals. When Tuesday’s match came to a close, she had done just enough to extend her season.
“I’m so happy for Natalie,” said head coach Keith Parsons. “Her senior season has been a whirlwind because of some weather postponements and a rigorous academic schedule. She needed her complete round today and came through to advance to the regional for the second consecutive year.
“Her performance today was very gritty,” Parsons added. “She finished with a clutch pitch shot on the 18th to secure her spot in the regional.”
Davis finished the day with a 102. Miller, who participated in Tuesday’s match to practice for regionals, shot an 82. Regionals are scheduled to start at 8 a.m. next Monday at Pinehurst.
