EAST CHAPEL HILL’S GRIFFIN LEADS INDIVIDUAL NCHSAA 4-A GOLF; PINECREST HOLDS SIX-SHOT LEAD IN TEAM STANDINGS
PINEHURST— Ben Griffin fired a brilliant four-under par 68 on Monday to grab a three-stroke lead in the 77th annual North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A men’s golf championships at Pinehurst number eight.
The championship is being contested on a par-72 layout set at 6,698 yards for the NCHSAA event.
Griffin, who tied for 10th in last year’s tournament, is three shots ahead of Northwest Guilford’s Drew Johnson and has a four-shot lead over a trio of golfers, including Seth Gandy of Cornelius Hough, Luke Thalman of Charlotte Myers Park and Josh Martin of Southern Pines Pinecrest.
Defending champion Stephen Saleeby of Raleigh Broughton, a sophomore this year, is in a group tied for 13th, six shots back.
Pinecrest, with four players shooting 73 or better, tallied a 291 to hold a six-shot lead in the team standings over Charlotte Myers Park at 297. Hough is in third at 299 and defending team champ Broughton fourth at 303. The best four of six individual scores count toward the team total.
A Wake County school has won the men’s 4-A team golf title 18 times in the last 27 years, including the last four in a row. Pinecrest is the last non-Wake County school to win, taking the title in 2008.
Prior to 1986, all NCHSAA schools competed for a single title in an open tournament. Play went to three classifications in 1986 and then to four classes beginning with the 1998 tournaments.
A total of 84 golfers began play in the two-day tournament. Action is scheduled to resume at 7:30 on Tuesday morning.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
2032 MEN’S 4-A GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
Pinehurst Resort and Country Club, Pinehurst number eight—Monday’s Results
TEAM STANDINGS
Southern Pines Pinecrest 291 Charlotte Myers Park 297 Cornelius Hough 299 Raleigh Broughton 303 Raleigh Leesville Road 304 Durham Riverside 312 Northwest Guilford 315 Winston-Salem RJ Reynolds 316 Fayetteville Terry Sanford 318 Indian Trail Porter Ridge 319 Charlotte Providence 343 Wilmington Laney 344
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS
First Name Last Name (School) 1st Rd. Ben Griffin (East Chapel Hill) 68 Drew Johnson (Northwest Guilford) 71 Seth Gandy (Hough) 72 Luke Thalman (Myers Park) 72 Josh Martin (Pinecrest) 72 Jake Hutchinson (Leesville Road) 73 Carter Jenkins (Leesville Road) 73 Austin Morrison (Myers Park) 73 Zach Martin (Pinecrest) 73 Austin Scarboro (Pinecrest) 73 James Sugg (Pinecrest) 73 Colson Hoffman (Porter Ridge) 73 Stephen Saleeby (Broughton) 74 Peyton White (Hough) 74 Preyer Fountain (Broughton) 75 Krystian Romero (Pinecrest) 75 Dillon Wilson (RJ Reynolds) 75 Will Rainey (S. Mecklenburg) 75 Clay Brown (Hough) 76 Phillip Oweida (Myers Park) 76 Andy Simmons (Myers Park) 76 Trey Guy (Terry Sanford) 76 Neville Burton (WF-Rolesville) 76 Hunter Oxford (Ardrey Kell) 77 Kirkland Caison (Broughton) 77 Will Minton (Broughton) 77 Harrison Rhoades (Broughton) 77 Court Settle (Broughton) 77 Patrick Cover (Hough) 77 Will Franzen (Leesville Road) 77 Josh Stockwell (Pinecrest) 77 Alex Brese (Riverside) 77 Davis Morrison (Myers Park) 78 Mitch Ellis (Page) 78 Newt Barringer (Riverside) ...