GIRLS' GOLF: Aycock's Sauls claims medalist honors

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on September 9, 2016 9:57 AM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

A picturesque course with wide, tree-lined fairways can look inviting to any golfer when they step up to the No. 1 teebox at Goldsboro Municipal Golf Course.

But don't let the enticing layout fool you.

It's no walk in the park -- not even for the most-experienced golfer.

Eleven high school competitors who tackled the front nine on Thursday afternoon can attest to that assessment. Just two managed to log scores under 50, while the rest toiled to avoid the trees, multiple bunkers and pine straw -- all which led to either provisional tee shots, difficult lies or drops in hazards marked on the course.

Charles B. Aycock's Abby Sauls claimed medalist honors with a 44 -- her lowest output of the season. But even Sauls, a returning state qualifier, fell victim at times to GMGC's tricky design.

"(The round) was pretty good and some holes weren't that great," said Sauls, who posted two pars and navigated some chip-ins on the rolling greens.

"My putting wasn't very good today, everything was fast on the greens. (The season) has been pretty average. I haven't been that happy with it so far. I need to keep practice putting and chipping, mostly."

Sauls' effort, along with Leah Campbell's 54 and Savannah Strickland's 58, helped Aycock claim the team portion of the event with a 156. Teammate Anna Williams carded a 58.

Rosewood finished 11 strokes back, followed by meet host Goldsboro with a 176.

Returning state qualifier Shemayah Revis fired a 46, just one week after recording a career-best 44 at Cardinal Country Club in Kenly. Revis, who has been Rosewood's top golfer all season, faced the same dilemma as Sauls and the rest of the field.

"I think (the round) was pretty good," said Revis, who registered pars Nos. 6 and 9. "I concentrated more and kind of got frustrated with my putting, but I pushed forward and did what I can do the best. The greens are really fast.

"I had to monitor how I hit the ball and I hit it past the hole too much this time."

Rebecca Dunham and Sarah Bowling complimented Revis with efforts of 61 and 60, respectively. Bryanna Sutton contributed a 62.

Riley Hales led Goldsboro's charge with a 54. The Wayne School of Engineering sophomore played alongside Sauls and Campbell, and experienced a fair share of challenges.

"I had some bad holes, but I kind of made up for them at the end," Hales said. "There's a lot of trees and I hit in the trees a lot, and pine straw. When you hit in there, it's hard to hit out."

Teammates Caroline Foy and Rebecca Lanier each shot a 61.