Spartans add to trophy case with golf title
Editors Note: Mac Scott shot 146, not 148, which is now reflected in the article.
OPELIKA – The Spartans brought home number 160.
The 160th state championship in school history, that is.
The Mountain Brook High School boys golf team took a 14-stroke lead after the first day of competition and cruised to victory in the Class 7A state golf tournament at the Robert Trent Jones Grand National Golf Course in Opelika on Tuesday.
“I’m so proud of the guys,” said coach Alex Lockett.
After shooting an outstanding 279 on the first day, with four of the five team members entering the clubhouse under par, the Spartans had all the lead they would need, as the 294 they shot on Tuesday was more than enough to hold off Vestavia.
Mountain Brook finished with a 573, to Vestavia Hills’ 581.
Ben Fuller and William Wann each shot 69 on Monday. Reynolds Lambert came home with a 70, and Willis Hagan shot a 71, meaning Ford Clegg’s 74 did not even count towards the team score on the day.
“He did not want to be the drop score,” said Lockett. “He was ticked yesterday, so he turned it around today.”
That is a slight understatement, as Clegg shot a 68 on Tuesday, such a low number that he earned the low medalist honor for the tournament.
“That’s unbelievable,” Lockett said. “I guarantee you there’s never been a situation where a kid goes from being the drop score the day before to becoming the medalist. I bet that’s never happened.”
Clegg’s number paced the Spartans, while Lambert shot 74, Hagan finished with 75, Wann carded a 77, and Fuller wrapped up the day with 78.
Hagan and Fuller will now depart the Mountain Brook program, but Lockett believes the expectations will remain high for the Spartans for the conceivable future.
“We’re losing two seniors,” he said. “But we’ve got a bunch of guys coming back, so we should be contenders for a few years here.”
The Mountain Brook team was so deep this year that freshman Mac Scott qualified for the state tournament as an individual, and he put together a very good couple of days. Scott shot a 74 and a 72 to finish at 146 for the tournament.
Mary Mac Trammell qualified for the state tournament as an individual on the girls side, and shot a 77 both days to finish at 154.