Prep Golf Primer

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Prep golf primer

 

 

Girls top ten

 

1. Davidson Academy

 

2. Clarksville

 

3. Franklin Road Academy

 

4. Battle Ground Academy

 

5. Rossview

 

6. Oakland

 

7. Cookeville

 

8. Columbia

 

9. Tullahoma

 

10. Goodpasture

 

Boys Top 10

 

1. Clarksville

 

2. Goodpasture

 

3. David Lipscomb

 

4. Montgomery Bell Academy

 

5. Father Ryan

 

6. Franklin

 

7. Riverdale

 

8. Cookeville

 

9. Brentwood

 

10. Henry Co.

 

Girls to watch

 

Ashley Lance, FRA, Jr.

 

Sara Hunt, Columbia, Sr.

 

Calle Nielson, USN, Jr.

 

Stephanie Smith, Davidson Academy, Fr.

 

Paij Lintz, Marshall Co., Sr.

 

Kayla Turner, Clarksville, Fr.

 

Boys to watch

 

Danny Calway-Fagen, Hume-Fogg, Sr.

 

Tyler Cassetty, Jackson Co., Jr.

 

Rob Clouser, Clarksville, Jr.

 

Joe David, Goodpasture, So.

 

Drew Miller, Clarksville, So.

 

Justin Walker, Goodpasture, Jr.

 

Matches to watch

 

• Clarksville at Goodpasture, Riverside Golf Course, Monday.

 

• Davidson Academy vs. FRA, Aug. 30, Sept. 6.

 

• CEO Roundtable Invitational, McMinn- ville Country Club, Sept. 6.

 

• Patriot Classic, Paris Landing State Park, Buchanan, Sept. 6.

 

• McDonald's Classic, Ridgefield's Country Club, Kingsport, Sept. 11-12.

 

• Hardin Co. Invitational, Pickwick State Park, Savannah, Sept. 12.

 

State tournaments

 

• Class A/AA: Oct. 4-5, Tims Ford State Park, Winchester.

 

• Class AAA: Oct. 11-12, Old Fort Golf Course, Murfreesboro.

 

• Division II: Oct. 17-18, Pickwick State Park, Savannah.

 

Lance setting sights on state title

 

First place is the only place left for Ashley Lance.

 

The Franklin Road Academy junior finished runner-up at the Class A/AA tournament last season after a fifth-place showing as a freshman.

 

University School of Jackson's Natalie Edwards, the defending champion, graduated last spring, clearing the way for Lance.

 

"I think expectations are higher for her this year," FRA Coach Glenn Tackett said. "You're expecting bigger and better things. She gets better each year."

 

The Division I prospect took second at the Tennessee Girls Junior Amateur Championship on July 8 before qualifying for the U.S. Girls Junior Amateur Championship three weeks later in Eagle, Idaho.

 

"I've played in a bunch of tournaments nationwide, getting my name out there for the colleges," Lance said. "I would love to win the state championship as an individual and as a team this year. We came so close as a team last year."

 

FRA finished second the past two seasons and third in 2002. Davidson Academy won by two strokes over FRA last season.

 

"I have to think we've got an awfully good chance this year," Tackett said. "A lot of it hinges on how Katie Ferrell progresses and improves during the season. She was ineligible for us last year (after transferring from St. Cecilia.)"

 

Powers on collision course in Division II

 

Davidson Academy's move from Class A/AA to Division II sets up a showdown with Baylor's girls in a matchup of two tradition-rich powers. Baylor has won a record 10 state titles, and Davidson Academy is close behind with nine.

 

"Hopefully that's going to be something that materializes at the state tournament, but it's a long way until then," Davidson Academy Coach Kevin Maggard said.

 

"Throughout the course of the season we'll probably hear through the grapevine how they do."

 

Former Davidson Academy standout Lauren Oeser is golfing at Belmont this season, but the Lady Bears return Stephanie Smith and Hillary Goodall. Smith and Goodall both finished among the top 15 at the Class A/AA tournament in 2004.

 

Clarksville has new look in AAA

 

Clarksville lost its top two golfers and its coach, but that probably won't stop the Wildcats from returning to the Class AAA tournament.

 

James Brannen is golfing at Tennessee and Ryne Fisher is at Missouri, but Clarksville gained two transfers in Drew Miller (Rossview) and Andrew Glassell (Davidson Academy). They join Rob Clouser, Brian Balthrop and Dilan Patel to form a deep team.

 

Former coach Ronnie Fuqua left to become the defensive coordinator at Clarksville Academy.

 

He will be replaced by Paul Powers, who led Austin Peay to two consecutive OVC titles from 1988-89.

 

"I took this job for a lot of reasons, but one of them was to try to win another state championship," Powers said. "I taught everyone on (Clarksville's) 2002 state championship team."

 

Powers, a PGA teaching pro at Eastland Green, golfed at Clarksville from 1973-75 when the Wildcats finished among the top three each season, including the 1974 state championship.

 

The Wildcats have finished among the top three in Class AAA during the past three seasons after finishing first in 2002, second in 2003 and third last year.

 

Cougars geared for championship run

 

Goodpasture's boys return all five of their starters after taking second in the Class A/AA tournament last season, finishing five strokes behind Hixson.

 

"I'm optimistic, but I'm also cautious," Cougars Coach Conn Hamlett said. "We're hoping to make a run, but I've had teams before that were loaded and somewhere along the line there would be some minefields and potholes."

 

Joe David, Justin Walker and Ray Gephardt are all Division I prospects. David led Goodpasture with a seventh-place showing at the 2004 state tournament, shooting a 5-over-par 149 over 36 holes at Old Fort Golf Course in Murfreesboro.