MIDDLE CREEK’S COX IS INDIVIDUAL LEADER, GREEN HOPE PACES TEAMS
AFTER FIRST DAY OF NCHSAA STATE 4-A MEN’S GOLF AT PINEHURST
PINEHURST- Junior Blake Cox fired a four-under par 68 to hold a one-shot lead in the individual standings after Monday’s opening round in the 70th annual North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A men’s golf championships at Pinehurst number six.
Cox holds a one-shot edge over Ben Wright of Shelby Crest, while Will Almand of Morrisville Green Hope is two shots off the pace with an opening round 70.
Eleven golfers are within five shots of the lead, including defending champion Drew Younts of Northwest Guilford, who recorded a one-over 73.
A very tight team race has emerged, with the top five teams separated by only 13 shots.
Green Hope, which was third in last year’s 4-A event and won it all in 2003. fired a 289 to hold a five-shot advantage over Middle Creek, which has no seniors playing in its top six. Defending team champion Northwest Guilford and Charlotte Providence are knotted at third place with a 301, and Raleigh Broughton, which has won six of the previous eight 4-A team titles, is just a shot behind them in fifth at 302.
The best four of six individual scores count toward the team total.
Prior to 1986, all NCHSAA competed for a single title in an open tournament. Play went to three classifications in 1986 and then to four classes beginning with the 1998 tournaments.
A total of 84 golfers are competing in the tournament. The first groups will tee off at 8 a.m. on Tuesday morning for the final round.
Wendy’s and the Carolinas Ford Dealers are the presenting sponsors of the NCHSAA sports program.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
70th ANNUAL CLASS AAAA MEN’S STATE GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS–2006
Pinehurst number six—par 72, 6,700 yards
TEAM SCORES-18 HOLES
Pl Team Score
1. Morrisville Green Hope 289
2. Apex Middle Creek 294
3. Northwest Guilford 301
Charlotte Providence 301
5. Raleigh Broughton 302
6. West Forsyth 311
7. New Bern 312
Southern Pines Pinecrest 312
9. Matthews David Butler 317
10. Monroe Weddington 318
11. Greensboro Grimsley 321
12. Fayetteville Terry Sanford 337
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS-18 HOLES
1.Blake Cox, Apex Middle Creek 68
2. Ben Wright, Shelby Crest 69
3.Will Almand, Morrisville Green Hope 70
4.Rob Barrow, Morrisville Green Hope 71
5. Corey Nagy, Charlotte Zeb Vance 72
Tanner Briele, New Bern 72
Jacob Colley, Apex Middle Creek 72
Nathaniel Gburek, West Forsyth 72
Harrison Kaylor, Raleigh Broughton 72
10. Drew Younts, Northwest Guilford 73
Andrew Wood, Northwest Guilford 73
