Piedmont Golfers Earn Wins
Piedmont Academy’s golf team has been enjoying success on the course winning both of its recent dual matches with Rock Springs and Tattnall Square.
The team also finished 10th in a strong field of 22 teams at the Stratford Academy Invitational.
Coach Michael Wilson said he believes the team is rounding in form as the weather continues to get warmer.
“Golf is hard enough in perfect conditions but having to play matches in March is especially difficult,” the coach said. “The course isn’t fully out of winter, typically you get a good bit of wind and cooler temperatures and it just makes it hard to score and be consistent. I’m looking forward to April and seeing how we fare against the teams in our region at the region tournament.”
Wilson also said delaying the start of the season would benefit all competitors.
“I really wish the GIAA would move the golf schedule back a few weeks,” he said. “I think cramming a season into early spring that’s better served later is a disservice to the kids. I know there is a lot going on and I know they recognize this but it would allow for more golf to get played. However, we will make due and be ready come time for the region tournament time.”
Individually, Kolby Pounds is playing really well. His coach said Pounds has a chance at being a Division I player if he chooses.
“Showing up at a course you haven’t played and shooting 37 and 38 constantly speaks a lot about someone’s game,” Wilson said. “We played at River North against Tattnall and it was cold and windy and he went out and shot 39 on nine and then birdied a playoff hole giving us the team win. He had a 37 against Rock Springs and then a 73 at a really challenging Idle Hour having never seen the course. Idle Hour is a course where you have to avoid certain places on holes and on the 17th hole, he didn’t know, he drove in one of those areas and took a triple bogey. Otherwise, he plays one of the most respected courses in the state at even par. I really look for him to be in the mix for the region title and possibly a state title.”
Also a big surprise for Piedmont has been the emergence of eighth grader Payton Gallups. “He had a 41 against Rock Springs and while his 47 against Tattnall didn’t make him very happy, I thought it was a really good round,” Wilson said. “That’s a tough course and he’s a young kid. He’s got a great disposition for golf and he’s a relative newcomer to the sport having just picked it up about two years ago. He’s going to help us and if we want to make it to state we need him to keep playing and improving.”
In addition the team has benefited from the play of Avery McWhorter, Sawyer Freeman and Barrett Downing for the last three years. Currently McWhorter is averaging 47, Sawyer 43 and Barrett 47 for nine.
“These three are solid golfers,” their coach said. “You can expect anything between a 40-48 with them and typically two of them will be toward the lower end. They are a lot of fun to have on a team, they stay loose and they want to beat other teams. I don’t know if they give themselves enough credit for being good golfers but it’s hard to shoot a score like they do. People don’t realize the difficulty of the sport, especially when you just pick up clubs in the spring and play but for being seasonal golfers these guys are better than most.”
With the new region Piedmont is competing in, it will be a challenge to finish in the top two.
“Both Stratford and First Presbyterian are really good and deep golf squads,” Wilson said. “Realistically, we are aiming for third and looking to shoot the qualifying score of 350 and going to compete as a team at Glen Arven Country Club in Thomasville. Individuals can qualify with a score 85 or better but we hope to take the whole team down there. We are going to have to work at it but we can definitely do it.”
This spring, Marissa Holder is playing strictly in the girls division.
Piedmont doesn’t have a girls team so Holder will compete in region and at state. Since her 81 at Idle Hour she’s been spending time getting ready for the girls region and state tournaments. The girls region will be at Bowdon Country Club and state will be played at Orchard Hills Country Club.
“I think she’s got a really great chance at competing for both the region and state championship and I think this kind of competition will serve her well as she moves into college golf next fall.