4-peat for the Spartans golf team

MOBILE -- Make that four in a row for the Spartans.

The Mountain Brook High School boys golf team was the unquestioned top team in Class 6A all spring long. The Spartans finished off a tremendous season with a dominant win in the state tournament, their fourth consecutive state title.

The state tournament was held at RTJ Magnolia Grove in Mobile and was originally slated to be a 36-hole event over May 10 and 11. Despite persistent rain on the first day, all golfers were able to complete a full round.

After that day, Mountain Brook was atop the leaderboard. The Spartans blitzed the competition, holding a 19-stroke lead after a day of play.

The weather was worse the following day. Heavy rain and thunderstorms entered the area in the late morning, halting the tournament. The course was deemed unplayable for the remainder of the day.

That meant the tournament reverted to the first day’s scores, giving Mountain Brook the championship. Mountain Brook finished with a team score of 284 from its top four golfers, while second-place Hartselle finished at 303.

The top three individuals in the tournament donned the green and gold, with Gordon Sargent pacing the field. The Vanderbilt signee fired a round of 68, good for 3-under par and the low medalist honors. Evans Gross was second with a 69 (-2), while Will Feagin shot a 71 (even) to finish third.

Tom Fischer finished in a tie for fourth with a 73. Coe Murdock and Cole Imig each shot a 76 (+5) to finish tied for eighth with two others. 

“It was a lot of fun to watch,” Mountain Brook coach Alex Lockett said. “I’m very proud of these guys. They work hard and the results show for themselves. This has probably been the most competitive team I’ve ever had as far as battling it out for the top four or five spots.”

Sargent was one of 10 seniors in the Mountain Brook program this spring. Imig and Feagin will also be extending their playing careers into college, with Imig heading to UAB and Feagin going to Rhodes. 

The boys team won the 6A North Sub-State tournament at Cypress Lakes in Florence the week before the state tournament.

Sargent led the Spartans with a round of 68 (3-under par). Fischer shot a 1-under 70, Gross finished with a 73 (+2), Imig fired a 74 (+3) and Murdock finished with a 75 (+4). The Spartans team total of 285 was 1-under par. 

Feagin shot 69 (-2) to qualify for the state tournament as an individual. Graham Hodges shot 74 (+3).

The Mountain Brook girls finished fifth at the sub-state tournament, ending their season. Seniors EK Parker (Spring Hill) and Helen Walthall (Berry) have signed to play golf in college.

The Mountain Brook girls finished in a tie for second with Homewood at the 6A, Section 4 tournament, shooting a team score of 261. Parker led the Spartans with a round of 79. Madison Hazelrig also qualified for sub-state as an individual.

Mountain Brook’s boys won the section tournament by 18 strokes. Fischer led the way with a 5-under par score of 67. Mountain Brook also got rounds of 71, 72 and 73 from Murdock, Imig and Sargent, respectively. Gross also shot a 75.

Mountain Brook was well on its way to winning another 7A state title last spring, before COVID-19 shuttered the season in March. The Spartans won it all in 7A in 2017-19 before dropping down to 6A this school year.

Fischer and Murdock are the top returners for the Spartans next season. Time will tell if they can make it five in a row.