Cape Fear Men's Golf Heads to Nationals
The Cape Fear Men's Golf team finished off the spring semester impressively, winning the Region 10 Championship and then finishing well in the District 4 Championship.
"It's been a great year," said head coach Rick Stewart, who praised his players for being, "great kids, great students, and great athletes."
The Sea Devils competed against Spartanburg Methodist and Wake Tech in the Region 10 championship. Leading from the start, Cape Fear won by double-digits. The win is the team's 9th Region 10 championship in 14 seasons.
The team played in the District 4 championship at Duran Golf Club in Melbourne, Florida, finishing 6th out of 10 teams. Rain and high winds battered the golfers in all three rounds, yet a few Sea Devils were able to perform at a high level.
None performed better than freshman Justin Morgan, who finished in 2nd place after posting a three round -3 under par.
"[Morgan] was outstanding," said coach Stewart. Morgan finished with rounds of 70, 69, and 74. His 2nd place finish came with medaling in the Region 10 championship.
Freshman Thomas Hill also performed well, finishing 34th. After improving his game in the fall, Hill became an important player for the team during their spring schedule.
"[Hill] really, really produced in the Spring," said coach Stewart.
Three other standouts included Parker Chavis, Ryan Graybar, and Brantley Moore. Chavis joined the Sea Devils in the spring semester after transferring from Pfeiffer University. His addition, says Coach Stewart, added depth to the squad. He finished tied for 25th in the District 4 championship.
Graybar, meanwhile, was a standout all season, and was the first player to score under par this spring. He, like Chavis, also finished tied for 25th. All this came after Graybar joined the team despite a scholarship offer to play soccer. Coach Stewart says that despite only playing a few years, Graybar shows a lot of ability and potential.
Finally, coach Stewart called Moore a "staple all season" and the team's MVP. Moore finished 34th in the District 4 championship, but he had two Top 10 finishes this season, and six in the Top 20.
Moving forward, the team heads to the National Tournament scheduled for May 15th-18th in Lubbock, TX. Regardless of their finish, coach Stewart believes the program is "back in the saddle" after two slightly down seasons. He believes Cape Fear, while still a relatively new program, is on course to competing with some of the top Junior Colleges in the country. With nearly every player returning next season, along with the addition of two new players, Stewart is confident the golf team will be able to improve on what has already been a standout season.
Courtesy of Nick Denning