PINEHURST – The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) Men’s Golf State Championships began on Monday with First Round play at four different facilities in Pinehurst. The 1A Championships are being held at Pinehurst No. 6. The 2A Championships are being contested at Longleaf Golf & Family Club. The 3A Championships are being played at Foxfire Resort’s Red Fox Course while the 4A Championships are at Pinehurst No. 8.
The tournament is a 36-hole format and will crown an individual champion and a team champion in each of the four classifications. Recaps and links to results are included below. Tee times for the final round of play on Tuesday, May 16 are also available in the Tournament Central links below.
2023 NCHSAA Men’s Golf State Tournament Information & Scoring
1A Championship Tournament Central – Pinehurst No. 6
2A Championship Tournament Central – Longleaf
3A Championship Tournament Central – Foxfire (Red)
4A Championship Tournament Central – Pinehurst No. 8
2023 1A Men’s Golf First Round | Mitchell jumps out to 10-stroke lead
Pinehurst No. 6 (Par 72, 6637 yd., 72.6/134)
Powered by a seven-under, 65 from junior Connor Warren, the Mitchell Mountaineers will take a 10-shot lead into Round Two of the 1A Men’s Golf Championship. Warren made six birdies and an eagle on the day while making just one bogey and coming home in 31. The 65 is the third best single-round championship score in the NCHSAA record book. Brody Miller added a 78 for Mitchell, leaving him tied for eighth on the individual leaderboard. South Stanly posted 36-over par to claim second-place at the halfway point of the competition. Reid Smith recorded a 75 for South Stanly and Dustin Hurley added a 78. Cherryville currently sits in third.
Eastern Randolph senior Connor Carter went out in 37 and came home in 33 to post a two-under 70 and sits in second place on the individual leaderboard. Mountain Island Charter’s Kola Abudu got around at even par to occupy the third-place spot.
2023 2A Men’s Golf First Round | East Surry in control at midpoint
Longleaf Golf & Family Club, Southern Pines, NC (Par 72, 6602 yd., 72.1/131)
Thanks to a pair of sub-70 rounds, the East Surry Cardinals finished the first round of the 2A Men’s Golf Championships at one-over-par and take a 24-shot lead into the final 18 holes. Senior Connor Key posted a bogey-free 66 and his teammate Pennson Badgett carded a 69 to pace East Surry. Anderson Badgett and Jace Goldbach each turned in a 77 to round out the team score. Key holds the top spot on the individual leader board while Pennson Badgett is tied for third and Anderson Badgett and Goldbach are tied for 18th.
Pine Lake Prep, with the help of even-par rounds from Aiden Penhall and Cooper Mizelle, sits in second and Seaforth is just two shots behind in third.
Farmville Central junior Holder Rucker overcame a bogey and a double bogey to post a four-under 68 and currently sits in second place alone. Beddingfield’s Nate O’Neal and Drew O’Neal are T3 and T5 thanks to rounds of 69 and 71, respectively. Bandys’ Atley Gabriel also finished under par on the day with a 71.
2023 3A Men’s Golf First Round | Terry Sanford atop the leaderboard in Round 1
Foxfire Resort | Red Fox Course (Par 72, 6756 yd., 73.5/135)
Terry Sanford’s Ethan Paschal and Thomas Horne powered their team to the top of the leaderboard in the first round of the 3A Men’s Golf Championship. Paschal fired a one-under 71 and Horne was even on the day as they sit T3 and T8, respectively. Parks Helms and Charlie Horne rounded out the team scoring with a 76 and an 81.
Terry Sanford will take a nine-shot lead into the second round over Oak Grove. Aidan Wilson shook off an early double bogey to finish at one-under on the day and Lincoln Newton posted even par for the Grizzlies.
Fred T. Foard freshman David Gee was the low golfer in round one after he carded a six-under 66. He holds a three-shot lead over Jacksonville’s Tyler Jones. Fike’s Ethan Boyette, Stuart Cramer’s Rich Will and Cape Fear’s Gavin Drose all also finished round one in red figures with rounds of 71.
2023 4A Men’s Golf First Round | Green Hope takes 2-shot lead after Day 1
Pinehurst No. 8 (Par 72, 6694 yd., 72.3/131)
Green Hope edged two shots clear of a tightly packed leaderboard at the end of the first round of the 4A Men’s Golf Championship, posting 10-over-par as team. Jake Lewis led the way for the Falcons as he recorded three birdies on the way to a one-over, 73, which puts him in a tie for 8th on the individual leaderboard. Quin Polin added a 74, and Ian Williams and Shlok Jain shot 75 and 76, respectively to round out the team score. Pinecrest, Marvin Ridge and Broughton all sit at 12-over after round one, well within striking distance of the leaders.
Apex Friendship freshman Daniel McBrien fired the low round of the day after rolling in seven birdies on the way to a six-under, 66. He will sleep on a three-shot overnight lead over Colin Salema from Providence. Salema birdied three of his final four holes to post a 69. Millbrook’s Kareem El Kassem and Broughton’s Charlie Price also finished in red numbers in round one with rounds of 70 and 71.
