OAKWOOD -- One domination continued while another came to an end Tuesday at the Hall County Golf Championships at Royal Lakes Country Club.
The Gainesville boys, behind Spencer Ralston, pulled away to beat Flowery Branch by 32 strokes, 299 to 331, for their fifth straight team title. Ralston fired an even-par 36 to take low medalist honors with a 2-under 70 for his third straight individual title.
For the girls, Johnson ended Gainesville's seven-year reign holding off Flowery Branch 299 to 315 for their second title and first since 2007. Lady Falcons' sophomore Macie Hurst took low medalist honors shooting a 92.
First-year Johnson girls coach Caleb Carmean said it was a goal his group had talked about when he met them for the first time.
"They told me how much they wanted to win it this year and I thought they played consistently both days," Carmean said. "I feel good for them. They finished strong. This could set the tone for the rest of the season."
The Lady Knights led by 11 strokes coming into Tuesday's action and were able to hold on behind the play of Kristen Waters and Madison Stewart, who both shot a 96 to tie for second individually. The Lady Knights' Jenny Barrett finished fifth with a 107 as no other Lady Falcon as able to break 117 over the two days. Chestatee's Kayla Watson was fourth individually with a 104.
Hurst had no idea she had won the low medalist until reporters approached her while she was watching the final boys results come in.
"I did? Wow!" she said. "I didn't know if I would be able to shoot well enough to win it. This feels great.
"It was tricky putting all day. The pins were tough. I just tried to stay in the fairway. I know what I need to do now to keep getting better."
For the rest of the girls field, Gainesville was third with a 361, Chestatee fourth with 376, West Hall fifth at 384, and North Hall sixth at 386.
For the boys, Ralston, Nathan Williams, and Lawson King led five Red Elephants into the top 13 individually to hold off Flowery Branch, which placed two in the top six.
Ralston said he was curious to see what a relatively young Red Elephants team was capable of doing.
"I wasn't real sure how good we would be coming into the season. We have a lot of new guys," Ralston said. "But I thought everyone played pretty well. There were some real tough pin placements out there. It feels good getting the team win and I think we're going to keep getting better."
Ralston and Williams were tied at 1-under and North Hall freshman Bartley Forrester was just two shots back after No. 13. But Ralston was able to navigate a tough three-hole stretch at even-par while both Williams and Forrester fell three shots back with two holes left. Ralston birdied the final two holes to seal the victory.
"I hit the ball pretty well and that stretch of 14-16 was tough," Ralston said. "I made a couple of good shots on the last couple of holes."
"Spencer did what he had to do. He's a special player," Gainesville coach Bryson Worley said. "This is a different team this year with some young players. I was pleased to see them play well. This was one of our goals coming into the season."
Williams finished second with a 2-over 74. Tanner Merck of Flowery Branch was third with a 75, King was third with a 76, and Forrester wound up fifth at 77. Duece Gibbs of Flowery Branch was sixth with a 78, Gainesville's Ryan Hogan was seventh with a 79, John Jacobs of Lakeview Academy took eighth with an 81, and Johnson's Shane Burdette, East Hall's Tristan Cooper, Lakeview's Gabe McConnell,North Hall's Brennan Manson, and Gainesville's Brady Holcomb all finished tied for ninth with an 83.
2015 HALL COUNTY GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
Royal Lakes Golf Club, Chestnut Mountain
Day two Results, Tuesday, March 10
TEAM
Boys
1. Gainesville, 299
2. Flowery Branch, 331
3. North Hall, 347
4. East Hall, 362
5. Johnson, 369
6. Lakeview Academy, 378
7. Chestatee, 390
8. West Hall, 444
Girls
1. Johnson, 299
2. Flowery Branch, 315
3. Gainesville, 361
4. Chestatee, 376
5. West Hall, 384
6. North Hall, 386
INDIVIDUAL
Boys Top 10
1. Spencer Ralston, Gainesville, 70
2. Nathan Williams, Gainesville, 74
3. Tanner Merck, Flowery Branch, 75
4. Lawson King, Gainesville, 76
5. Brantley Forrester, North Hall 77
6. Deuce Gibbs, Flowery Branch, 78
7. Ryan Hogan, Gainesville, 79
8. John Jacobs, Lakeview Academy, 81
9. tie, Brady Holcomb, Gainesville, 83
tie, Shane Burdette, Johnson, 83
tie, Tristan Cooper, East Hall, 83
tie, Gabe McConnell, Lakeview, 83
tie, Brennan Manson, North Hall, 83
Girls Top 5
1. Macie Hurst, Flowery Branch, 92
2. Madison Stewart, Johnson, 96
tie, Kristin Waters, Johnson, 96
4. kayla Watson, Chestatee, 104
5. Jenny Barrett, Johnson, 107
Monday
May 6th, 2024
1:23PM
