Tigers win county golf tournament
Published 6:51 pm Tuesday, April 24, 2012
County champs: The Chilton County golf team includes Madison Sanders, Jordan Lightsey, Ivan Truss, Blake Jenkins, Forrest Knight, Cole Watley and Jacob Hay.
Chilton County’s golf team may be peaking at just the right time.
The Tigers played their best golf of the season on April 19 and won the Chilton County Golf Tournament on Monday—good news as the postseason begins on April 30.
CCHS shot a 300 as a team last week at Willow Point in Alexander City, good enough to best Auburn (302) and Benjamin Russell (354).
Forrest Knight had the top individual round with a 72.
Ivan Truss was close behind with a 73, Blake Jenkins shot a 77, Jordan Lightsey shot a 78, Jacob Hay shot a 91 and Cole Watley shot a 94.
The team will lean on the skill and experience of Knight, Truss and Jenkins when it competes in the Class 5A Section 2 tournament at Sylacauga Country Club.
If the Tigers finish in the top four in Sylacauga, they would advance to the sub-state round, to be played at Arrowhead Country Club in Montgomery on May 7.
“One of them has been winning about every tournament we’ve been in,” coach Mark Knight said about a trio that has been tearing up courses together for four years now. Jenkins and Truss are seniors, while Forrest Knight is a junior.
Chilton fell just short in the sub-state round last season. Mark Knight said he hopes the improvement of sophomore Lightsey could help the team get over the hump.
Lightsey has shot in the 70s the past two tournaments.
“If he continues to do that, we’ve got a legitimate shot,” Mark Knight said.
Jenkins, Truss and Forrest Knight have also matured this season. The county tournament was evidence of that.
Mark Knight said Jenkins struggled of late after a solid start to the season, but he posted the best individual score, a 74, at Montevallo Golf Course.
Jenkins and Forrest Knight shot a 74, Lightsey shot a 77, Hay shot an 84 and Watley shot an 86.
Madison Sanders posted the lowest girls score, a 96.
Isabella, Jemison and Maplesville also competed in the tournament. Jemison finished in second place.
Forrest Knight won the county championship last season, while Truss won via tiebreaker over Knight two years ago.
The Jemison golf team includes coach Kelley Smitherman, Logan Tillery, Griffin Burnette, Griffin Street, Timothy Bragg, Brandon Stokes and Tyler Henderson.
Jemison will compete in the Class 4A, Section 1 tournament on April 30 at Lagoon Park in Montgomery.
Isabella will compete in the Class 1A-2A, Section 1 tournament on April 30 at Azalea City in Mobile.
Maplesville will compete in the Class 1A-2A, Section 2 tournament on May 1 at Silver Lakes Golf Course in Glencoe.
