PINEHURST — A couple of things needed to go right for the Richmond boys’ golf team in Monday’s Sandhills Athletic Conference championship in order to qualify for the 4A Midwest Regionals as a team.
And those two things — shooting a season-low team score and getting some help from Lumberton High School — both happened at Pinehurst No. 1.
Finishing the 18-hole round with a team score of 358, which was the Raiders’ best combined score this spring, Richmond took second in the SAC championship, as well as second in the season’s overall standings.
The Raiders entered the championship trailing rival Scotland High School by one point, but thanks to some help from the Lumberton Pirates, who finished third ahead of Scotland by 10 shots, Richmond edged the Fighting Scots by one point.
Pinecrest High School took first overall with a 276, and the Raiders held off Lumberton (369) by 11 strokes. Scotland finished the day with a 379.
“We are very happy with that,” head coach Keith Parsons said about qualifying. “(I’m) so impressed with our boys’ group, which posted its best score of the season when we needed it most.
“Four of the five had their best rounds so far,” he added of the Raiders. “And getting the help from Lumberton was a welcome surprise. I wasn’t ready for our season to be over, and I guess our boys weren’t, either. I can’t wait to have them experience the atmosphere of the regional. It should be fun.”
Senior Will Thompason watches his tee shot during Monday’s SAC championship. (Deon Cranford)
Senior Jonathan Rich, like he has all season, captained the Raiders with a season-low 76 (+4). He posted an impressive even par 36 on the front nine, and closed with a 40 on the back, bringing his season average per nine holes to 40.0.
Also posting season-low scores were seniors Jaxon Mabe and Will Thompson, along with sophomore Ayden Mabe. Jaxon Mabe (89) broke 90 for the first time this spring, shooting a 47 on the front before storming back with a 42 on the final nine holes.
Thompson took 16 shots off his scorecard from his last outing, posting a season-best 95. His best stretch was a 45 on the front, followed by a 50 on the back nine.
Ayden Mabe was just three shots back of Thompson, posting a 98 with a pair of 49s on either side of the turn. Junior Ethan Brown also competed for the Raiders, shooting a 101.
Senior Georgia Grace Anderson putts the ball during the SAC championship while junior Jamie Sears watches. (Deon Cranford)
For the Lady Raiders, their season came to an end with a third-place finish in Monday’s SAC championship, and finished with a team score of 474.
The Pinecrest and Scotland girls’ teams took first and second, respectively, with scores of 355 and 435. On the season, the Lady Raiders finished second in the SAC points standings with 37 points, nine more than Lumberton and Scotland.
“On the girls side, I am so pleased with the growth all five players showed during the season,” Parsons said. “We had three new players who all got better and maintained a love for the game, and our two returners in Delaney and Angeli continued the improvement they started in the fall of 2019.
“We’ll lose them and Georgia Grace to graduation, and we are so appreciative of their efforts. Even though Georgia Grace only was able to play one year of golf, she left her mark on the program.”
Senior Georgia Grace Anderson posted a final round score of 105 to lead the Lady Raiders, shooting a 54 on the front before ending with a 51.
Juniors Jamie Sears and Abigail Tatum were the next two on the scorecard, shooting a 120 and 124, respectively. Both first-year players, Sears had a 58 and 62, while Tatum shot a 60 and a 64.
Also closing out their careers were seniors Angeli Yang (125) and Delaney Driggers (126).
The Richmond boys’ golf team will compete in the NCHSAA 4A Midwest Regionals on Monday at Jamestown Park Golf Course. Tee times and other information should be available later in the week.
