RAEFORD — At the start of the boys’ golf season, Richmond head coach Keith Parsons said improving a little bit each week as a team was a goal for the Raiders.
The Richmond Senior High School golf team did that for the fourth consecutive match on Monday, playing its first 18-hole round of golf against Sandhills Athletic Conference opponents.
Competing in a field of six qualifying teams, the Raiders finished fifth overall with a combined team score of 397. The score was calculated using the top four scores from the Raiders and it was the second week in a row Richmond finished in that spot.
Although it was the team’s first 18-hole round of the season, regional qualifying scores are broken into 9-hole scores. The Raiders’ nine-hole score on Monday was 198.5, which was the team’s lowest overall score this season.
Head coach Keith Parsons wasn’t able to attend the match, but assistant coach Chad McCurry filled in for Richmond.
“I appreciate Coach McCurry stepping in for our first 18-hole match of the season,” Parsons said. “We saw more improvement and we were able to better my goal of 400 as a team.
“I’m excited to see what our final two matches hold. Hopefully, we will be in position to have some qualifiers for the regional.”
Shooting a team-best was senior Ethan Brown, who finished the day with a 91. He shot a 51 on the front before making a big turn around with an impressive 40 on the back nine, which was his lowest nine-hole score of the season.
Senior Caleb Talton and junior Ayden Mabe also finished in the nineties, posting respective scores of 94 and 97. Talton had a 45 on the front nine before finishing with a 49, and both scores were the first time he broke into the forties this spring.
Mabe started his round with a 50 on the opening nine holes and closed with a 47 down the back stretch. Rounding out the Raiders’ scorecard was senior David O’Neal, who posted a 115. He shot a 62 on the front before rebounding with a 53 on the back.
Fellow senior Chandler Orr also competed for the Raiders, ending his round with a 128 (68 and 60).
Pinecrest High School won the match with a team score of 288, followed by Union Pines (359), Scotland (363) and Lee County (395). Hoke County finished sixth behind Richmond with a tally of 404.
Richmond will compete in another 18-hole round at Whispering Pines Golf Club next Monday, which will lead into the regular-season finale at Pinehurst No. 6 on April 18.
