The Salem golf team had a busy week of action to open the season, playing in three matches in seven days. The Spartans were in the Botetourt Metro Tournament in Troutville on August 4, the Woodford Invitational in Wytheville on August 6 and their River Ridge District opener at the Roanoke Country Club on Monday of this week.
Salem finished 10th out of 18 teams in the field of 90 golfers at the Metro Invitational. Salem was without senior Ashnoor Kaur and junior Mike Bateman, two of their top three golfers, but still posted a team score of 320.
“I’m proud of our team’s effort,” said coach Blaine Hancock. “We had a few breaks that didn’t go our way, but our players still managed to put together respectable scores.”
The Spartans saw three new faces in the lineup along with two returnees from last year’s team. Sophomore JD Williamson moved to Salem this year from Glenvar and led the team with a 76 to tie for 18th place overall.
“JD was solid from the start,” said Hancock. “He even had a bad break on 17 where someone had taken his ball. He had to go back and hit three off the tee. He kept his head and managed a huge bogey save.”
Also making a debut for the Spartans was freshman Chloe Collins. After a stellar season as an 8th grader on the JV team last year, Chloe shot a 77 to tie for 26th.
“Every time she had a tough hole, she bounced right back and put together a quality round,” said Hancock.
Rounding out the scoring for Salem were returners McKenzie Eversole and Croix Bowen. McKenzie picked up where she left off last season and fired an 81 while Croix started his third season in the varsity lineup with an 86. Salem finished 10th as a team with a score of 320 as Auburn won the tournament with a 289 and Cave Spring was second at 303.
“Coming off the course our team wasn’t necessarily thrilled,” said Hancock. “I know this is a special group as they were already planning on what we need to work to get ready for the next tournament.”
The next tournament was last Thursday in Wytheville as Salem competed in the 17-team Woodford Invitational. The Spartans finished sixth with a team score of 303 with Cave Spring again going low, winning the tournament at 281. Auburn and Pulaski County tied for second, 15 strokes back at 296.
“It was a beautiful day at Wytheville with perfect conditions for low scores and the players didn’t disappoint,” said Hancock.
Salem was still without Kaur and Bateman but that didn’t slow the Spartans down. All five players in the lineup posted scores in the 70s, led by Eversole with a three-over par 73, good for ninth place. Williamson was next at 75, Collins shot a 76, including an eagle on the 12th hole, and Eli Wells and Will Creger both came in at 79.
“This was a strong showing from our group,” said Hancock. “We showed what our depth is capable of doing this year.”
On Monday the Roanoke Country Club was the site of the first River Ridge District match of the season and it was a dogfight. Blacksburg and Pulaski County tied for low team score at 297 followed by Cave Spring at 305, Salem at 309, Patrick Henry at 310, Hidden Valley at 312 and Christiansburg brought up the rear at 339.
The day belonged to Blacksburg senior Jack Skinner who torched the course with a seven-under-par 64. Among the six teams, 25 players shot 80 or better in a tight race for the top spots.
The Spartans were led by Kaur, who returned to post a 72 to tie for third place. Also scoring for the Spartans were Williamson and Eversole, both carding 78 to tie for 13th on the day. JD opened with a hole-out birdie from the bunker on his first hole. Rounding out the scoring was Bowen, who posted an 81. Collins posted an 84 and Bateman shot an 87.
“It’s going to be a tight competition this year in the district,” said Hancock. “Each match will only have a few shots separating teams. We put in a good effort and I’m excited to see where we can improve for the next one.”
Salem was scheduled to play at Draper Valley in a Match Play event on Wednesday of this week. Next Monday, August 17, the Spartans will be back at Draper Valley for a district match.
