WCHS Golf Suffers First Loss, Bounces Back with Two Wins

After the golf matches for August 17th and 18th were canceled due to excessive heat and a scheduling error, the Wildcat golfers hit the links on Monday, August 24th in Adamsville for a nine-hole match against the home team Cardinals and the Chester County Eagles. It was a rough outing for the Wildcats, and they suffered their first loss of the season, turning in a total score of 174. Chester County won the match with a score of 169 and was led by Mason Myers with an excellent 2-under-par 34. Adamsville turned in a score of 180.

The Wildcats were led again by Jacan Floyd with a score of 39. Other top scores for the Wildcats were Lawson Stegall with 43, Hudson Floyd with 45, and Madden Haggard with 47. When asked about the team's first loss, Jacan Floyd agreed it was tough and said, “We just have to get back on track. We can't let a bad hole get us down. We have to have a short memory and erase it.” Floyd's short game was good and had two consecutive birdies at one point, but he said the greens were tough, fast, and sloped at the pin.

On Tuesday, August 25th, the Wildcats hit the course again for nine holes at Ross Creek Landing in Clifton. The Wildcats faced the Frank Hughes Lions and the Perry County Vikings. The Wildcats bounced back from Monday's loss with a solid win, turning in a score of 162. Perry County reported 178 and Frank Hughes carded 230. The Vikings' Bronx Dunkle was the low medalist with an impressive 2-under-par 34. The Wildcats were led by Lawson Stegall with 38. Other top scores for the Wildcats were Madden Haggard with 40 and Hudson Floyd with 42, with freshman Myles Butler cracking into the top four for the first time also with 42.

On making the top four, Butler said, “It felt good, but we have to keep getting better.” Butler added that he had an especially good day off the tee and that he didn't miss any fairways. Stegall was asked how the team bounced back from Monday's loss. He said, “We learned a lot about what NOT to do. We put the loss behind us and grew from Monday's mistakes.”

On Thursday, August 27th, the Wildcats traveled to Lewis County to face the Panthers, along with the Battle Creek Grizzlies and the East Hickman Eagles. The Wildcats stayed in the win column, bringing in a nice team score of 154 in the nine-hole match. Lewis County finished second with 165, followed by East Hickman with 174 and Battle Creek with 188. Jacan Floyd and Madden Haggard tied for the low medalist, both shooting 37.

The Wildcats were rounded out by Lawson Stegall with 39 and Myles Butler with 41. On the day, Madden Haggard said his short game worked well and his chipping and putting were good. For the week, Haggard said “It was really good for us to get back in the win column. These last two wins have been a real confidence booster for the team.”

Wildcat coach Chris Lynch was asked about the week. He said, “This week was a roller coaster, but that's a picture of the highs and lows of golf.” He added, “The boys' response with two wins after Monday's loss was exactly what I expected. Their response tells me a lot about their character. They keep working hard and the scores are starting to show it. We're close to hitting our stride.”

The Wildcats' next match will be the 18-hole Tennessee River Classic on Monday, August 31st, in Decaturville.---Submitted by Gene Stegall