RAEFORD, N.C. – Three words were repeated over and over again by golfers throughout the Sandhills Athletic Conference golf match on Tuesday at Bayonet Golf Course -- “it is hot.”
While a thunderstorm was quickly making its way through areas of Richmond County, members of the Richmond Senior High School girls golf team were enduring a clear, 95-degree afternoon in Raeford. The heat concerned the participating schools so much that the conference opener was shortened to just nine holes.
Only five of the eight conference schools entered the necessary four players to compete as a team. Pinecrest shot the best score with a 146, Jack Britt finished with a 161, Richmond followed with a 200, Lumberton had a 235, and Scotland ended the day with a 262.
Bayonet was good to Richmond’s veteran golfers. Junior Hailey Miller finished the day with an impressive 40 (+4), followed closely behind by senior Natalie Davis (44, +8). Doubling their nine-hole totals would still result in both Miller and Davis taking fewer strokes than they did at any 18-hole match a year ago.
Kenleigh Frye led the Richmond freshmen with a 57 (+21). She was pleased with her first outing as a Lady Raider.
“I feel I did pretty good today for my first match,” Frye said. “I need to work on putting the most. I have been struggling with that.”
For Frye, the sunlight was a nonfactor. “The heat didn’t really bother me after playing softball all summer,” she said.
Fellow freshman Taylor Young only finished two strokes behind Frye with a 59 (+23). Kirsten McDonald, also a freshman, shot a 68.
Senior Kylie McDonald was expected to play on Tuesday, but she injured her foot over Labor Day weekend and was unable to participate.
“I’m impressed with all of our players for different reasons,” Richmond head coach Keith Parsons shared following the match. “(Freshmen) Kenleigh, Taylor and Kirsten were playing their first match of their careers and hung in there all day.
“Hailey and Natalie played very well, showing great leadership,” he added. “I think we all see that we have something to build on the rest of the season.”
Gates Four Country Club in Fayetteville will play host to both the Patriot Athletic Conference and the Sandhills Athletic Conference next week. To keep the conferences from overlapping, the SAC match will be moved from its normal slot on Monday, Sept. 10, to Tuesday, Sept. 11 at 2 p.m.
