VALDOSTA — Trace Carter continued his splendid play on the links picking up another medalist honor with a four-under-par round of 68 here in the 18-team Lowndes Viking Classic at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club.
Carter posted 33-35 carding four birdies on the front nine (Nos. 1 thru 3, No. 8) and an eagle (No. 14) on the back nine Monday, March 17 to win by five shots over Pierce County’s Ethan Arnold, who finished at one-over-par 39-34-73 in the field of 109 golfers. Arnold recorded three birdies on the backside.
PCHS finished fourth in the field with a 313 while the Gators tied North Paulding for sixth with a 316.
Class 6A host Lowndes, with three players tying for third with rounds of 74, clipped fellow Class 6A member Carrollton by two strokes for the win, 300-302. Class 6A Colquitt County was next with a 308. The Packers were followed by Class 2A Pierce County and Class 5A Coffee (314) in the top five spots.
After Ware County and Class 6A North Paulding were South Forsyth (317), Tift County (318) and Lowndes II (324).
Rounding out the field were Class A DI Toombs County (330), Class 3A LaGrange (330), Class 6A Camden County (333), Lowndes III (334), Class 1A DI Berrien (346), Class 5A Thomas County Central (360), Class 3A Bainbridge (364), Class 6A Valdosta (379) and Class A DII Charlton County (408).
The Gators were scheduled to play Monday, March 24 in the C.D. Moore Blue Devil Invitational hosted by Tift County at the Spring Hill Country Club. They are traveling Saturday, March 29 to play in the Packer Invitational hosted by Colquitt County at the Sunset Country Club in Moultrie.
Ware County’s Asher Dean followed Carter shooting 42-39-81 to finish in a four-way tie for 4oth. He was joined by South Forsyth’s Michael Missos and William Halloway, and Parker Gay of Lowndes II.
Elit Taft posted 44-38-82 with a birdie finishing in a six-way tie for 44th with Porter Scott of Lowndes II, Jacob Stinson of Lowndes III, North Paulding’s Liam Morrissey and Toombs County’s Drew Woodruff.
Brody Martin opened with a birdie en route to posting 45-40-85 to finishing in a seven-way tie for 81st. He was joined by Colquitt County’s Dawson Lane, the Lowndes II’s Ben Holley, Lowndes III’s Luke McGahee, South Forsyth’s Landon Cardarette, Toombs County’s Vick Moore and John Bell of Bainbridge.
Following Arnold for the Bears was Samuel Ricketson with a score of 40-36-76 which included three birdies on the back nine. Ricketson finished in a seven-way tie for ninth joining Colquitt County’s Calvin Hall and Leighter Hood, Coffee’s J.P. Spivey, the Carrollton duo of Edward Fleck and Davis Hass, and Camden County’s Randall James.
Bennett Puryear posted 39-38-77 with a birdie on each side in tying South Forsyth’s Lucas Watson for 16th.
Griffin Hull followed with a 4047-87 rounding out the team score and finishing in a four-way tie for 72nd. He was joined by Valdosta’s Tripp Perry, Coffee’s Noah Morris and Camden County’s Archie Disanto.
Hart Strickland was a shot back with a 46-42-88 to finish in a five-way tie for 76th with Coffee’s Garrett Medders, Lowndes II’s Cayden Gay and the Berrien duo of Logan Rowe and Beau Lindsey.
Barrett Moore shot 46-44-90 to tie Berrien’s Jake Moody for 83rd.
