Spartan golfers ready to get to work

Four Mountain Brook High School golfers placed among the top six at last year’s Class 7A state boys golf tournament. 

Unfortunately for the competition, all four return this season. 

William Wann, Reynolds Lambert, Mac Scott and Gordon Sargent will lead the Spartans’ pursuit of a third straight 7A title. Last year they won their second consecutive championship behind state-record-matching rounds from Wann and Sargent. 

Both shot 133 over 36 holes to tie for low medalist honors. 

“When we go to tournaments, we have a lot of fun,” Wann said. “But when we go to the golf course, we go to work.” 

Much has transpired since the 2018 state tournament, especially for Wann and Lambert. The seniors signed college golf scholarships during a ceremony in November. 

Wann will play at Mississippi State, and Lambert will play at Furman. 

“They both work really hard, and they inspire the other guys to work hard,” said Mountain Brook head coach Alex Lockett, the 2018 USA Today Coach of the Year. “They just lead by example.” 

Wann and Lambert have played together since they were seventh-graders at Mountain Brook Junior High. In preparation for their final high school seasons, both have been refining different parts of their game. 

Wann said he has focused on gaining strength and improving his course management. Once he steps up to the first tee, he wants to hit longer shots and make fewer mental errors.

Lambert, on the other hand, said he has concentrated on his short game. He wants his putter to become as trusty as the irons that he uses reliably shot after shot. 

“I think definitely our goal is trying to win our third state championship in a row,” Lambert said. “But I think for me, one major goal, and probably for William as well, is to try to be a good leader this year.”

There are many younger players for Lambert and Wann to lead, including Scott, a junior, and Sargent, a sophomore. 

Sargent already has verbally committed to Vanderbilt University, even though he has only played one season of high school golf.  

His coach said he has just started to tap into his potential.  

“If he continues on the path that he’s been on, the sky’s the limit,” Lockett said. 

Mountain Brook’s top four players headline a team that is as deep as any in the country. 

While many high school programs search for golfers to fill out their varsity rosters, the Spartans pull from a trove of talent. 

“We have probably 15 guys who could all play varsity golf at any other school,” Lambert said. “It’s not a guaranteed thing that you’ll qualify each week, so that just keeps us motivated in the winter to keep practicing.”

Lockett attributes Mountain Brook’s talent to the community’s strong junior golf programs. Many of his players grow up learning the game at Birmingham Country Club or Mountain Brook Club. 

By the time they reach high school, they are polished golfers with a desire to succeed. 

The results speak for themselves. 

“I think everybody’s really driven to be the best they can be,” Wann said. “We’ve just got to stay focused on the task at hand and keep looking forward, whether it’s the next shot or next round.”