HIGH SCHOOL REGIONALS

Berek Dyson, showed
great patience and poise

Elk City, OK, should be proud to know that their boys golf team, regardless of the quality of play for a day or a season, has a lot of character, not to leave unmentioned: "fire in their belly": man, are they all competitive young gentlemen who hate to not do well!

Brock Walker: trying to
find the rythm that eluded
him most of the day.

It is fun to go as a spectator to a high school golf tournament. Aside from seeing some really good play along with the not so good, you get to study how the players you are watching handle themselves in certain situations.

Cody Lake, always a quiet
gentleman, tending the
flagpole for a fellow competitor

Whether it is a situation under pressure, a rules inquiry, how they approach the game, or their pairings, if they are respectful of the game or others or not, or just how they conduct themselves during the round if they are not playing to their own expectations, or how they handle their game if they happen to be playing very well.  Take yesterday for instance, the state regionals played at Weatheford's Prairie West Golf Course, where the pairings were not conductive to competitive golf, not to mention that these were humiliating for the not so good players.

Pacing his 300+ drive
on #14... always laid back!

How would you like to play 36 holes with a guy that outdrives you with his 5 iron and outscores you by 20-40 shots per 18 holes? Both the good and the bad players end up not playing at their best, the former because waiting too long and seeing them suffer, and the latter because they are embarrassed to be put under the microscope and realize they are holding play in their group. On top of that, how would you like to find out, as a bad player, that you were placed in that group so you wouldn't cheat? (yes, that was the "reason" it was given for such poor pairings). It was humiliating and it was wrong. OK enough of my "ranting", I hope someone using more sense makes the pairings next time and lets talk about our kids.

Joby Gray, obviously satisfied
with the tough 2-Putt he did
on #6 (his 15th)

Elk City ended up in 2nd place behind Guymon, OK who had a player who scored a 66 in the afternoon round. Our top two players in the team now, despite some inconsistent putting, Keegan Hall (71-74) and Joby Gray (74-73) placed 2nd and 3rd respectively. Berek Dyson (77-79)  was the team's 3rd best, then Cody Lake (84-83) and last, a very disappointed Brock Walker, who couldn't find his rhythm until late in the second round. Brock shot 89-81. Shaving 8 strokes from the morning round shows that he cares and that will not give up.

We are proud of you guys!

For more pictures, click here