Area Golfers Headed to State
Grapeland, Latexo Ready to Tee Off in Austin
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
JACKSONVILLE – Quick, name a hotbed for golf in the state of Texas. One might say Austin or Dallas or Houston, maybe even San Antonio. Those are all good answers but you might want to add Houston County to that list.
Crockett’s Will Holcomb V and Grapeland’s Rick Frauenberger (2) – along with Ruston Boyd – have won individual state championships at the Class 3A and Class 2A levels, respectively, in recent years.
As a team, the Sandies and Sandiettes both have a pair of State Championships under their belts. The Bulldogs have finished in the top five at state a few times. The Latexo Tigers and Lady Tigers have been a staple in Austin during the state tournament in recent years while the Lovelady Lions and Lady Lions are starting to become regulars at the final golf tourney of the season.
This week, the Houston County golfers continued to show off their prowess on the links.
On Monday, April, 18 the Grapeland Sandies teed off in the Class 2A Region III Golf Tournament and carded a 403. The 403-mark put Grapeland in third place after the first day of competition, just three shots behind the team from Bosqueville which shot a 400. The Garrison Bulldogs led after the first day with a combined 396.
Slade Harris shot an 86 to lead the way for the Sandies. Peyton Prater had a round of 95, Cole Goolsby had a 110 and Tyler Bush shot a 112.
Day two saw the Sandies cool off a little bit as they recorded a 411 for a two-day total of 814. Still, it was enough to qualify for the Class 2A State Tournament scheduled for May 9-10 at the Lions Municipal Golf Course in Austin.
Harris shot an 85 for a two-day total of 171. Prater carded a 113 for a two-day total of 208. Cole Goolsby shot a 107 for a total of 217 while Tyler Bush was a stroke behind after shooting a 106 for a combined 218.
The top three teams were: Bosqueville with a two-day total of 801; Garrison with a two-day total of 811; and Grapeland with a two-day total of 814.
Latexo’s Cordell Knox was also at the two-day tournament and he lit up the scoreboard finishing as the second-low individual, punching his ticket to Austin in the process. Knox came out on fire Monday as he shot an opening round 79 to tie for the lead after the first 18. His second-day total of 80 put him just a single stroke behind Centerville’s Trayce Schwab who had a two-day total of 158 to clinch the gold medal.
The Region III Class 2A Girls’ Tournament got underway on Wednesday, April 20 on a somber note. Earlier in the week, the Latexo Lady Tigers had lost a member of their team, as Parker Beavers had perished following a vehicular accident.
With heavy hearts, the Lady Tigers teed off and despite their grief, Latexo managed to go out and shoot a combined 488, just a shot out of the second-place score of 487 from Bosqueville. Crawford led the field after the first round with a combined score of 400.
Natalie Nicol paced the Lady Tigers with a 106 while Emma Jones carded a 124. Kennedy Patterson shot a 127, Harlie Hoch had a 131 and Izzy Yorgensen recorded a 137.
The pressure of going to state, combined with overwhelming sadness for the loss of their teammate, proved to be almost more than Latexo could handle. The Lady Tigers, however, showed a lot of character as they managed to hold off a late charge from the Bremond Lady Tigers to record a second-day total of 512.
That gave Latexo a two-day total of 1002 and earned them a trip to Austin in mid-May. Latexo finished third behind Bosqueville with a total of 952 and Crawford with a two-day total of 788.
Nicol shot a 115 for a two-day total of 221 while Jones carded a 127 for a total of 251. Yorgensen shot a 132 to finish with a 269, Hoch had a 140 for a combined 271 and Patterson had a 146 for a combined 273.
The Grapeland Sandiettes also had a pair of golfers competing in the tournament as Macy Walker shot 131-123 for a 254 while Anna Cutshaw carded a 148-128 for a two-day total of 276.
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
