RAEFORD — The opening golf match of the season Tuesday didn’t have ideal weather conditions, but that didn’t stop an experienced team from Richmond Senior High School.
Becoming the final of the school’s spring sports programs to begin competition, the Raider golf team battled blustery conditions on its way to a second-place finish.
Playing nine holes at Bayonet at Puppy Creek against the five other teams in the Mid-South Conference, the Raiders posted a final team score of 167.
With six golfers in action, the Raiders used their top four scorers to calculate their final posting.
Winning the match was Pinecrest High School with a score of 152. Richmond was 10 strokes ahead of third-place Jack Britt High School (177).
The bottom half of the field was filled out by Overhills (213), Pine Forest (218) and Hoke County (218) high schools.
Chris Turner, who took over as Richmond’s boys’ golf head coach this season, made note of the Raiders’ ability to play well despite unseasonably cold temperatures and high winds.
“I’m pleased with how the boys played today,” Turner said. “We have a few things we can work on before the next match and I know each of my guys would agree they could have shot a few strokes better than they did.
“Today was very cold and windy,” he continued. “Bayonet was in pretty good shape considering the rain (Monday). But these guys played well from the blue tees today in damp conditions, which added some length and difficulty.”
Playing the front nine from the blue tees, golfers had 6,281 yards of course to cover. Junior CJ Turner was the leader on Richmond’s scorecard, posting a 38 (+2) in his first match of the season.
Turner, along with senior Kevin Tabacolde and fellow junior Graham Odom, are returning regional qualifiers from last season. With his 38, Turner was third overall in the field.
Tabacolde and Odom posted the next two lowest rounds for the Raiders. Finishing with a 42 (+6) was Tabacolde, and Odom was one stroke behind with a 43 (+7).
Rounding out Richmond’s top-four scorers was sophomore Drake Wallace, who shot a 44 (+8).
Also on the course competing for the Raiders were senior Tyler McKenzie (45) and junior Grayson Robson (46).
“Next week is Anderson Creek and I’m looking to get our guys to improve each week,” Coach Turner closed.
“We only have two seniors, so I feel really good about what we can accomplish this year. CJ and Kevin have been a pillar in the golf program and this year we look to add to that.”
The Raiders’ next match will also be a nine-hole contest next Monday at Anderson Creek Golf Club, the home course of Overhills. Golfers will begin teeing off at 3 p.m.
