2021 1A Championship: CSD needs playoff to top East Surry; Surratt cruises
FOXFIRE VILLAGE, NC – Union Academy’s Caleb Surratt cruised to the individual title with a 3-under 69 on Foxfire Resort & Golf Club’s Red Fox Layout, winning the 1A Men’s Golf Individual State Championship. It was the team championship that provided the drama as Community School of Davidson (CSD) needed a one-hole playoff to down East Surry and win the Spartans their third straight 1A Men’s Golf Team Championship.
East Surry and CSD finished the 18-hole round trip tied at 29-over and 317, sending the two teams out on the par 4 1st hole for a team playoff. CSD’s top four golfers combined for a 15 on the 365-yard hole, while the Cardinals group posted a 17, dropping them to second for the team standings.
Jackson Maze led the CSD team, finishing 3-over, 75 for the tournament, in a four-way tie for 7th. He was helped by teammate Connor Maddox who posted 5-over, 77 on his way to a tie for 12th. The scoring four for the Spartans was rounded out by Tolliver rivers and Rafe Davison who finished 11 & 10-over respectively.
East Surry’s Bradly Davis paced the Cardinals, firing a 1-over, 73. His teammate Chase Harris backed him up with a 3-over, 75 and tied for 7th.
Surratt was magnificent on the back nine. He was 3-under without a single bogey on the back nine. He played the front nine even, starting with seven straight pars before a bogey on the par 3 8th which he quickly righted with a birdie on the par 5 9th.
The NCHSAA is committed to promoting good sportsmanship and has partnered with NC Farm Bureau to recognize one individual from each of the top two teams with the 2021 Men’s Golf Sportsmanship Awards for each classification. The 2021 1A Men’s Golf Sportsmanship Award winners were Jackson Maze from CSD and Austin Reeves from East Surry.
2021 2A Championship: LN Charter goes back-to-back as Ford picks up first individual title for West Caldwell
PINEHURST, NC – Lexton Ford carded a 3-under, 33 on the back nine to knock off a challenge from Beddingfield’s Drew O’Neal and win the 2A Men’s Golf State Championship with a 2-under, 70 at Pinehurst No. 6. Ford secured West Caldwell’s first individual Men’s Golf State Championship with his victory.
Ford churned out three straight birdies as he made the turn, carding a 1-under marks on the 10th, 11th and 12th holes. The eventual champion did give a shot back to the field on the par 4 14th, but he quickly took that back on the par 3 16th with a birdie.
O’Neal finished second but had a roller coaster round. He birdied a pair of holes on the front nine, the par 4 2nd and the par 5 6th. He paired that with three bogeys on the front nine as well. On the back nine, O’Neal flipped the script with birdies on the 11th and 15th offsetting a bogey on the 14th, getting him to an even-par 72 for the day.
Lake Norman Charter was solid from one through four, comfortably sliding by second place Midway by 14 strokes. The Knights combined for a 23-over 311 thanks to Carter Busse’s 3-over 75 leading the way. Busse finished tied for fourth overall.
Teammate Will Dalton was just one shot behind Busse finishing tied for seventh and Brandon Spinks was just one more shot back of Dalton at 5-over 75 in a tie for tenth. Garson Long finished 11-over in a tie for 24th to round out the Knights’ scoring and secure the school’s second straight Men’s Golf Team State Championship.
Midway finished second at 37-over 325. They were led by Logan Atkins who fired a 3-over 75 on his way to a tie for fourth place.
The NCHSAA is committed to promoting good sportsmanship and has partnered with NC Farm Bureau to recognize one individual from each of the top two teams with the 2021 Men’s Golf Sportsmanship Awards for each classification. The 2021 2A Men’s Golf Sportsmanship Award winners were Garson Long from Lake Norman Charter and Logan Atkins from Midway.
2021 3A Championship: Charlotte Catholic nips Marvin Ridge as Ward shines
SOUTHERN PINES, NC – T.C. Roberson’s Lucas Benjamin Ward carded six birdies in his 3-under, 69 on his way to winning the 3A Men’s Golf Individual State Championship at Longleaf Golf and Family Club. All six of Ward’s birdies came on the back nine, helping him to hold off four challengers who finished tied for second at 2-under.
As one of the first four groups off the tee, Ward had plenty of time to watch his competitors bring their rounds home following his fiery final nine. Forestview’s Nick Foreman came up a stroke short of Ward’s number despite three birdies of his own on the back nine. J.H. Rose’s Cameron Hardison and Terry Sanford’s Ethan Paschal pushed one another to 2-under, 70 in the same grouping. Jacob Conklin from Northwood also came in at 2-under, 70, one grouping behind Hardison and Paschal.
Hardison and Conklin came the closest to forcing a playoff. Hardison was tripped up with a double bogey on the par 4 18th. After a birdie on the par 4 17th to get to 3-under for his round, Conklin slipped up with a bogey on the 18th, dropping back into the four-way tie.
Charlotte Catholic was solid from top to bottom, combining for an 11-over, 299 to slip past Marvin Ridge by three shots. Catholic’s Luke Guthrie led the Cougars with a 1-over, 73. Steven Shea chipped in a 2-over 74 while teammate Nick Rubino wrapped the year 3-over in a tie for 15th. Catholic scoring was rounded out by Clay Tardif who fired a 5-over, 77.
Catholic’s depth proved enough to get the Cougars to a third-straight 3A Men’s Golf State Championship. The team title was the fifth in program history and second at Longleaf. Second place Marvin Ridge was paced by Ryan Dunn’s steady even-par 72. Dunn finished tied for sixth.
The NCHSAA is committed to promoting good sportsmanship and has partnered with NC Farm Bureau to recognize one individual from each of the top two teams with the 2021 Men’s Golf Sportsmanship Awards for each classification. The 2021 3A Men’s Golf Sportsmanship Award winners were Nicolas Rubino from Charlotte Catholic and Ian Podziewski from Marvin Ridge.
2021 4A Championship Pinecrest sweeps behind Van Paris’ even round
PINEHURST, NC – The Pinecrest Patriots wrapped up another outstanding Men’s Golf season, bringing home team and individual hardware in the 2021 4A Men’s Golf State Championship at Pinehurst No. 2. Patriots’ golfer Jackson Van Paris was equal to the challenge of Donald Ross’ signature masterpiece, firing an even par 72 to win the individual tournament by one stroke over Hampton Roberts and William Webb.
Broughton’s Webb came to the final hole with a one-shot lead, playing 1-under through 17. However, a double-bogey on the home hole dropped the Capitals star to 1-over and into a tie with Hampton Roberts as leaders in the clubhouse.
A birdie on the par 5 sixteenth set the stage for the final two holes, moving Van Paris to 1-under in the final group of the day. He gave a shot back to the field on the 185-yard par 3 seventeenth, drawing near to the clubhouse leaders and demanding a par or better on the final hole to seal the victory. Van Paris got home in four on the 415 yard par 4, despite the field averaging 5.04 on the hole during the competition. Van Paris became the fifth individual from Pinecrest to win the Individual State Tournament on the Men’s side, and the fourth in the last six tournaments.
The Patriots also cemented their sixth team title thanks to solid rounds from all four team contributors. Caden Bertagnole finished tied for 18th at 8-over, 80. Teammate Jackson Bode was one shot to the better at 7-over, 79 in a tie for 10th. Colin Dutton was tied for 6th at 5-over, 77 while Van Paris’ even round gave the Patriots an 11-shot win over R.J. Reynolds. The Demons were led by Robert Gafaell who wrapped up his season with a 3-over, 75.
The NCHSAA is committed to promoting good sportsmanship and has partnered with NC Farm Bureau to recognize one individual from each of the top two teams with the 2021 Men’s Golf Sportsmanship Awards for each classification. The 2021 4A Men’s Golf Sportsmanship Award winners were Jackson Van Paris from Pinecrest and Logan Fant from R.J. Reynolds.
Courtesy of James Alverson, NCHSAA Media