WHISPERING PINES — The season continued to trend in the right direction for the Richmond Senior High School golf team Monday.
One match after posting its best numbers as a team this spring, the Raiders improved even more during their Sandhills Athletic Conference match at The Country Club of Whispering Pines.
Remaining consistent as the No. 6 team in the conference, Richmond’s top four golfers combined for a team score of 382 in the 18-hole match.
That score was seven strokes better than the team’s previous best outing last week at Bayonet at Puppy Creek (389).
Richmond shot 196 on the front nine and posted a 186 on the back nine, also seven shots better than its season-low nine-hole score.
The four Raiders who qualified for the team’s scoring were sophomore Kevin Tabacolde, senior Damon Bryant, freshman Grayson Robson and sophomore Camden Williams. In contention were senior Samuel Hawks and freshman CJ Turner.
“Really pleased with how we played,” head coach Keith Parsons shared. “Kevin led the way as he has most of the season, and one thing which has helped him stay on top of our leaderboard is his ability to move past a wayward shot or a mistake in strategy. I see that time and time again. He moves on from that and pulls his round together.
“Damon continues to get better each week. He is one of the best drivers of the golf ball we have in our conference.This was only Grayson’s second match of the season and he improved several shots from last week. That is great to see from a ninth grader. And Camden has been consistent for us, coming through with solid scores which count and help us improve our overall team score.
“CJ and Sam didn’t have their best days, yet both showed flashes of how good they are,” he added. “Both have been solid for us all season and helped spur our improvement from beginning to end.”
Tabacolde put together his best round of the season, shooting an 86, two strokes better than last week. He posted a 42 on the opening nine holes and added a 44 after the turn. The 42 was his lowest nine-hole score of the season.
Bryant made a charge to finish as the Raiders’ No. 2 golfer Monday, shaving a total of 11 strokes from his previous season-low. Shooting a 48 to open the day, Bryant closed the final nine holes with a 49. His overall score (97) and front nine score (48) were career bests.
Both Robson (99) and Williams (100) contributed their best respective outings of the spring.
Robson shot a 54 and a 45, with the latter score being his best nine-hole performance in two matches. He also shot 10 fewer strokes for his overall score.
Williams closed out the top-four scorers by earning a 52 on the front and a 48 on the back. His total tally matched what he shot at Bayonet at Puppy Creek, but his back nine posting was also a season-low.
Turner ended his round with a 102 (47 and 55), while Hawks shot a 107 (57 and 50).
Winning the match was Pinecrest High School, which shot a 297 as a team. The Patriots’ John John Santospago led all golfers with a round score of 73.
Richmond’s regular season will come to an end Monday in another 18-hole match at Pinehurst No. 7. Beginning at 2 p.m., it will be the final chance for individual golfers to try to qualify for regionals.
