Demopolis golf has strong season, seeks new members
The Demopolis boys finished fifth overall in Sub State at Dothan National with an overall score of 368. The low man for the Tigers was Austin Hall, who shot an 85 in his final round of Demopolis golf.
The girls team also took fifth in Sub State with an overall score of 291. Caroline Webb shot the low score on the day for her team with an 83. That round was good enough for the fifth lowest individual score in the tournament.
“With everybody being so young, with one eighth grader, two ninth grade boys, we did well for being so young,” Demopolis golf coach Greg Rhyne said. “They got a lot of experience. They know what’s ahead of them so that they can improve and make better strides in the upcoming years. They’re a young group, so they can stay together three or four more years and possibly get to a state tournament by the time they graduate.”
Demopolis earned its way to Sub State with a strong performance in Sectionals at the Azalea City Golf Course in Mobile back on April 30.
The boys came in second behind St. Paul’s, finishing with an overall score of 370 and outpacing third place finisher Charles Henderson by eight strokes. The girls finished fourth at Azalea City to qualify for Sub State. Caroline Webb shot a 77 on the day, earning recognition as the girls’ low medalist in Class 4A/5A.
“I was feeling real good that day. Right after the fifth and sixth hole, I started hitting the ball really solid. I was going from fairway to green and two-putting, parring every hole. I was feeling it that day,” Webb said.
The program bids farewell to a pair of seniors in Hall and Hannah Webb, each of whom have played integral roles in the Demopolis effort.
“Austin came in and he lightened up everything. He stepped up this year and joined our team and allowed the younger kids to get this experience into the state and sectional tournaments. Austin came in and did a wonderful job working with the boys, giving them some direction and what to do. He played with us last year and he came back this year and gave those young kids some direction. He did a wonderful job,” Rhyne said. “Hannah came in with (DHS alumnus and current Faulkner University golfer) Anna Reid. She stepped in, helped her sister Caroline play. Their first year, they went to state. Without Hannah, we wouldn’t have a team. Hannah has been very easy to work with. She has been easy to coach. She’ll be missed.”
With the 2018 season completed, the program turns its attention to the 2019 campaign. Chief among the focuses during the offseason is adding members to both the boys and girls teams.
“Our boys team can be made up of five members. We have, currently, three. So I have two spots that are available for any DHS or DMS student. I would like them to have some knowledge of the game. We have qualifying. To qualify for our team, we have to shoot a nine hole score of 50. If they can do that, we can work with them and build their skills up over the two or three years to get them competitive with the teams in this area,” Rhyne said. “With the girls, we’re losing one girl this year. We can make a team with four girls. I have two spots open for girls as well. We’re looking for two girls or two boys to come join us for the next golf season.”