Patriots finish 2nd at state tournament
OPELIKA – Golf can be a cruel game sometimes, as the Homewood High School boys golf team learned on Tuesday.
The Patriots led Muscle Shoals by two strokes after Monday’s first round of the Class 6A state tournament at the Robert Trent Jones Grand National Golf Course in Opelika, but Muscle Shoals played great on Tuesday to overtake the Patriots and win the crown.
Homewood held a 290-292 edge after Monday, and Muscle Shoals shot 290 on Tuesday to Homewood’s 300 to win 582-590.
“That’s how it is in golf,” Homewood coach Jason Haithcock said. “You try to do your best, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way.”
With little to no wind and slow greens on Monday, Homewood took advantage of the course conditions and shot a strong 290, including 67 from Jack Goldasich and 71 from his brother Ford Goldasich.
Connor Doyal and Jack Poole each shot 76 on Monday, with Ben Harris shooting an 81.
Tuesday proved a tougher day for the Patriots, with a stiff wind not yielding as many opportunities. Several players suffered high scores on Hole 12 that put Homewood behind the 8-ball, a hole it was unable to climb out of.
“Through the front nine (on Tuesday), we were in pretty good shape,” Haithcock said. “Things started taking its toll around Hole 12, which is a par 5. We had a couple triples and a quad (bogeys) coming out of that hole. We put ourselves in a bad situation, and the kids knew it.”
Haithcock said his players tried to battle back, and did to an extent, but that Tuesday was an “average round compared to what they’ve shot all year long.”
Despite the disappointment of the day, Homewood still returns home with a red map as the runner-up.
“We’ve had a great season and the guys should be proud of it. We’ve got three seniors; they’re a great group of kids that will go on to be very good young men,” Haithcock said.
Poole paced Homewood on Tuesday with a 70, two-under par. Doyal shot a 73 and Jack Goldasich carded 77. Ford Goldasich scored 80 and Ben Harris finished at 85.