Vikings beat Bulldogs on links

With the District 11-A-AA tournament fast approaching, the Cornersville Bulldogs golf team got in one final tune up before the start of the playoffs when they took on the Community Vikings at Saddle Creek Golf Course on Thursday afternoon in their final regular season match.

Aided by a strong performance from State Tournament hopeful Zack West, Community took home the victory and posted a team score of 185, while the Bulldogs finished 20 strokes back with a 205.

West was the low man of the match and recorded two birdies and two bogies en route to shooting an even par 36 over nine holes. Jake Garrette and Dillon West each tallied a 44 for the Vikings as well, while Noland Wisener notched a 61.

"Zack's average has been around 36 for the entire season and he should be one of the favorites to win the individual District title," said Community coach Ian Stitzel. "He should at least be in the top two or three players in the District tournament and hopefully he can qualify for the State Tournament this year."

The Bulldogs got solid rounds from Jacob Griffis and Tate Lowery, but saw a significant drop off after their top two players. Griffis and Lowery tied for the second lowest score of the day with a 43, while Matthew Karban and Taylor Carlton carded a 59 and a 60 respectively.

"I thought overall we did ok. We had some heavy scores on the backside of our lineup, but our top two players both played fairly well. Jacob and Tate have to play well in the District tournament, but they're both capable of qualifying for the Region tournament," said Cornersville coach Kevin Wright. "We're going to work more and have some clinics in the offseason because I want to improve this golf program."

The District 11-A-AA tournament will be held at Henry Horton State Park on Monday, Sept. 24, with all competitors playing 18 holes.