Prep golfers too part in the TSSAA Division II-AA and Class AA state tournaments at Sevierville Golf Club on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, in Sevierville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Parker)
BY JESSE SMITHEY
No area high school team nor individual managed to pull off the rally needed Friday to capture a TSSAA state golf championship, but plenty improved their final standings.
Here’s what you need to know about the final day of the 2022 high school golf season..
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DIVISION II-AA BOYS
Brentwood Academy freshman — yes, freshman — Blades Brown repeated as individual champion in the Division II-AA ranks. After winning last year by six shots, Blades rallied on the final day of the 2022 tournament to capture the second title.
He birdied six of his final 10 holes Friday at Sevierville Golf Club’s River Course to shoot 7-under 65, and his 10-under 134 total cleared runner-up and first-round-leader Tommy Frist (Ensworth School) by three shots.
Ensworth, though, got the team title, though, as the Tigers shot an astounding 9-under 279 total Friday. They finished at 4-under 572 for the event to win by 10 over McCallie.
Catholic senior Harrison Thompson, a West Virginia commit, finished solo 11th. He shot a 72 Friday to go with the 74 he posted Thursday.
Webb School’s Tate Woodruff fired 74 Friday and finished tied for 12th at 147.
DIVISION II-AA GIRLS
Ensworth matched their male counterparts Friday and won a team title. The Tigers shot 17-over 297 across two days to edge Baylor by five strokes.
Anna Heck of St. Agnes shot consecutive rounds of 1-over 71 at the Highlands Course to win the individual title by two shots.
Webb’s Palmer Sykes played well all week and signed for rounds of 75 and 78 to tie for sixth.
Catholic girls finished in sixth place. Tori Tampas (86-82) finished in 17th place to lead the Lady Irish.
CLASS AA BOYS
The Halls Red Devils needed a sizable comeback on Friday to get its fifth all-time state title and first since 2017. And while Halls played six shots better Friday than Thursday, it still wound up sixth (54-over 640) out of eight teams.
Collierville shot 288 Friday to finish first at 7-over 583, rallying past first-round leader Page (587). Collierville trailed Page by eight shots after Thursday’s round.
Jackson Herrington of Dickson County shot a final-round, 1-under 71 at the River Course to move him to 6 under for the tournament. His 138 total gave him a four-shot win.
Halls junior Ethan Whitaker, a Chattanooga commit, was the area’s lowest boys finisher in the AA field. He tied for 11th at 146, carding a final-round 71 to jump up the leaderboard a bit. He birdied three of is final six holes with no bogeys or worse.
Greeneville’s Alex Broyles (76-74) tied for 17th.
Oak Ridge’s Jack Bentz (78-73) tied for 19th.
CLASS AA GIRLS
The Halls girls sat 14 shots back entering final-round play Friday but slid back by tournament’s end.
The Lady Red Devils shot 21-over 161 Friday — four shots worse than their mark Thursday — to finish fifth out of the eight-team field in Class AA girls.
Cookeville won the championship with ease at 14-over 294, their winning margin being 16 shots over runner-up Ravenwood.
Halls sophomore Lauren Davis was our area’s lowest finisher, tying for ninth at 152. She shot 79 Friday.
West’s Calley Holbert (78-78) tied for 12th.
Joslin Nave of Sevier County tied for 14th after rounds of 79 and 78. Parker Miller of Maryville was tied for 16th at 159. She shot 78 and 81 this week.
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