WHISPERING PINES — A new team-low score, coupled with several individual best scores this season, highlighted the Richmond Raider golf team’s match on Monday.
Continuing Sandhills Athletic Conference play at the Country Club of Whispering Pines, the Raiders placed fifth out of sixth teams.
Richmond finished its second 18-hole round of the season with a team score of 380. That final tally was 28 shots lower than their previous outing at Scotch Meadows last week.
The Raiders were led for the second consecutive round by senior captain Ayden Mabe, who posted another personal record score of 83 on the par-71 course.
Taking four strokes off his previous best score, Mabe parred five holes on the front nine. He dropped even scores on holes Nos. 2, 3 and 4, and finished the opening half with his lowest nine-hole score of the spring (40).
On the back, Mabe posted a 43, adding three more pars to his round.
Freshman Kevin Tabacolde also shot a personal best round of 87, shaving a dozen shots from his performance at Scotch Meadows. He went 42 on the front nine, followed by a 45 on the back.
“I sound like a broken record; Ayden continues to impress with his play, which steadily has gotten better as the season progresses,” head coach Keith Parsons said. “His 83 was so good on a tight course which played longer than the yardage because of all the rain Sunday.
“And Kevin bounced back with a great round, too. I know he was disappointed with his play the previous week, and he really was solid yesterday.”
Pinecrest High School won its fifth consecutive match to start the season, leading the way with a team score of 293. The Patriots were followed by Lee County (351), Union Pines (354) and Southern Lee (371).
Finishing last of the six qualifying teams was Scotland (434).
Two first-year golfers contributed to Richmond’s final team tally. They were senior Jullian Cline and freshman James Pack, both of whom posted new low-round scores.
Cline was third on the team with a 103, five shots better than last week. He had a 53 on the front and followed with a 50 on the back.
Pack finished his round with a score of 107, lowering his Scotch Meadows score by eight strokes. Pack went for a 52 on the opening nine holes and shot a 55 on the back.
Also in contention for the Raiders on Monday was freshman DJ Gainey. His score of 121 saw him shoot a 59 and a 62.
“Jullian has lowered his score a bit each time on the course, and yesterday, I thought his swing looked the best it has all season,” Parsons shared.
“And James and DJ, as 9th graders, continue to provide solid play which has me excited about their future. We have one more regular season match, so hopefully we can go out in style.”
Richmond will close its regular season at Pinehurst No. 6 on Monday, starting at 2 p.m. The Raiders have 15 points and are in fifth place in the SAC standings.
