Newland – For a group that has to practice in a field, a regional berth is not too shabby.
Despite not having a local course to work on their strokes, the Robbinsville Black Knights golf team – comprised of Isaiah Brown, Cody Cline, Dasan Gross, Turner Jackson and Trey Lambert – placed second at the Smoky Mountain Conference tournament, affording the quintet a trip to the 1A Western Regional match, which was held at Mountain Glen Golf Course in Newland last week.
“It was a nice course. I thought it was very scoreable,” said Knights coach Jake Beasley. “The back nine was a little tougher than the front, which was nice and open. It was a very good experience for our team.
“When we practice, we go hit balls at P&J Fields for an hour, pick them up, then hit again. The biggest disadvantage for our kids is they have nowhere to putt or chip. We can go hit fine out of the rough and fairways, but not being able to practice our short game hurts.”
A freshman, Brown was Robbinsville’s highest individual finisher, shooting an 86 across the two-day event – good for 23rd in the pack. Brown finished just two strokes shy of qualifying for the state tournament at the individual level.
Cline recorded a 97, which cemented a 49th-place finish. Gross had a 109, while Jackson notched a 110 and Lambert posted a 114.
Collectively, the Knights placed 9th, with 402 team points.
“It was a very good year for this team. I was very pleased with the improvement,” said Beasley. “We shot our best at the conference tournament and Cody shot his lowest round at regionals.”