DOUGLAS — Pierce County placed fifth and Ware County tied for eighth here in the 18-team Neil Graham Invitational golf tournament played at the Douglas Golf & Country Club.
Host Coffee High I captured the Monday, April 14 event with a four-overpar 292 team score led by medalist Cane Carver’s four-under-par round of 35-33-68 (four birdies, eagle), who played the last six holes five-under. The Class 5A Trojans also turned in scores of 72, 75 and 77. They did not count a 79.
The Trojans were followed by Class 6A Richmond Hill (299), Class 3A West Laurens (301), Class 6A Tift County (304), Class 2A PCHS (305), Class 6A Colquitt County (310), Coffee II (316), Class 5A Lee County (319), Class 4A Ware County (319) and Class 1A DI Vidalia (322) for the top 10 spots.
The rest of the field included Class 6A Camden County (328), Class A DI Berrien (335), Class 5A Houston County (342), Class 5A Thomas County Central (342), Class A DI Jeff Davis (350), Class 6A Valdosta (365), Class 2A Crisp County (360) and Class A DI Toombs County (403).
The Bears were led by Ethan Arnold’s round of 36-34-70 with five birdies.
He tied for second with Richmond Hill’s Ledger Conley.
Bennett Puryear finished in a four-way tie for 11th with a score of 41-37-78 and two birdies. He was joined by Coffee’s Reese Evans, Crisp County’s Will Gordon, and Colquitt County’s Reese Hood.
Samuel Ricketson also finished in a fourway for 28th after carding 41-37-78 with two birdies. He tied with Colquitt County’s Peyton Collins, Will Tribble of West Laurens and Coffee II’s Ethan Taylor.
Griffin Hull posted 41-41-82 with a birdie and eagle to finish in a three-way tie for 45th with Eli Taft of Ware County and Rylan Bloodworth of Jeff Davis.
Beau Strickland also finished in a three-way tie after a round of 43-43-86 with two birdies. He was joined by Ware County’s Brody Martin and Jackson Ray.
The Gators were led by the one-under-par score of Trace Carter (36-36-71, two birdies) tying Braceton Beasley of West Laurens for fourth.
Asher Dean shot 39-41-80 with a birdie to finish in a five-way tie for 36th. He was joined by Coffee II’s Jarome Waldron, Lee County’s John Thomas McNeal, Tift County’s Will Massey and Colquitt County’s Brayden Nolan.
Taft carded a 38-44-82 with two birdies in tying with PCHS’s Hull and Bloodworth of Jeff Davis.
Ray (eagle) and Martin (birdie) each posted 43-43-86 tying Pierce County’s Strickland.
