Calhoun County golf
- Updated: April 14, 2023
Weaver’s Ledbetter, White Plains’ Rogers finish off individual titles; White Plains boys, Alexandria girls take team championships
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
PINE HILL — Nick Ledbetter’s first congratulatory greeting after winning his first Calhoun County high school golf championship came from runner-up and good friend Sawyer Edwards.
Many more hugs, pats and fits bumps awaited the Weaver senior in the gauntlet of carts and people lining the sidewalk between the final green and Pine Hill Country Club’s clubhouse.
“It’s amazing,” Ledbetter said about absorbing the moment. “It’s really surreal, after last year.”
For Isabel Rogers, perhaps most meaningful hug came from a former White Plains teammate Abby Gattis, who once wore the same proverbial crown Rogers had just won.
“It feels good because all of my older teammates, some of them came out to watch today, so it feels good to do something,” Rogers said.
It took a week to get there, but the county tourney’s first-round individual leaders finished off championships.
In team competition, White Plains’ boys held on to their lead to win their fifth consecutive title, and Alexandria’s girls rallied from three strokes down to make it back-to-back county titles.
Ledbetter backed up his first-round 69 with a 70 to finish at 139, eight strokes better than Edwards, the defending champion.
Rogers shot an 85 Friday and finished at 164 for the tournament, three shots better than Alexandria’s Avery Prickett.
In team competition, White Plains’ boys shot 603, 22 shots ahead of second-place Oxford. Alexandria’s girls made it back-to-back county titles, shooting 522 to best White Plains by nine strokes.
The final round played out six days later than scheduled because of April 8 rain.
No one was more grateful that tournament organizers allowed a second round instead of settling for a weather-shortened, 18-hole county tournament than Alexandria coach Craig Kiker. His team shot a first-round 260, three shots back of White Plains, and rallied in the second round.
Kiker thanked Pine Hill pro Cory Etter profusely.
“They could’ve been making money on the golf course from people paying to play, and they let these kids play for 20 bucks,” he said. “That’s unreal. That’s a big testament to him. We thank him for letting us come back to play.”
Alexandria stayed on top despite losing every scoring player from last year’s team to graduation. Graduates included 2022 county champion and eventual state champion Lauren Sechrest.
“Our goal this year, since we don’t have any seniors, was to just play our best and see where we landed,” Prickett said.
White Plains’ boys have won every year since then-defending state champion Donoho won in 2017. White Plains has won a state championship since then, in 2021.
Keeping county supremacy for the school that counts Pine Hill as its home course is “awesome,” Edwards said.
Edwards led the Wildcats at 75-72—147, but White Plains coach Chris Randall pointed to top-five finishes from Wyatt Cotney and Cam Hurst. Dalton Faulkner finished seventh.
“The key today, a lot of times in high school golf, your ones and twos, even your threes will kind of cancel out,” he said. “If you’ve got a number-four guy like, we had Cam Hurst come in here and shoot 73 today out of the number-four spot. That’s huge.
“He shot 73 and finished fifth as a freshman, and Wyatt finished fourth as a freshman, so the future looks good for us.”
For the day’s medalists, there was joy in avenging the past and living in the glow of the present.
Ledbetter was tied with Edwards for the lead after last year’s first round. Edwards matched his first-round 70 to win, and Ledbetter shot 76 in the second round.
“It sucked last year,” Ledbetter said. “It really gave me a drive to win it this year, so pretty awesome. … It’s crazy. There’s really no words to describe it.”
A key for Ledbetter is personal growth, evidenced by the fact that he scored birdies immediately after both of his three-putt bogeys Friday.
“Three years ago, if I make a bogey on nine, I’d be livid with myself because I made a bogey,” he said. “I’d have gone to 10 and probably doubled 10, and it would add up.
“Now, I make a bogey and turn around and just make a birdie and get it back.”
After both rounds of this year’s county tournament, Ledbetter came away touting the virtues of “boring” golf.
“I was talking to Kenny Okins (former White Plains player), and that’s what he told me,” Ledbetter said. “That’s how you want to play in every tournament. You want to be boring.
“Boring golf is just fairways, greens and just two-putt and making pars. Pars will never hurt you.”
For Rogers, the key was getting back to boring golf after what she called a “rough” start.
“I started making pars, and my coach was hyping me up a little bit, and it made me feel better after I had some rough holes,” she said. “I made some birdies, and it just kept getting better.”
In a moment that typifies her play, she recovered from sand trap misadventures on Pine Hill’s No. 18 to hit a 30-foot putt to save bogey.
“Isabel has got a winner’s mentality,” Randall said. “She’s always where her feet are. She can make a double, miss a short putt, and she has a really mature ability about her to go on to the next hole or the next shot and be where her feet are. …
“I’m proud of Isabel. It’s been a goal of hers for a long time. I really thought she had a chance to win it this year.”
2023 Calhoun County prep golf championship
Pine Hill Country Club
Scores through Friday’s final round
BOYS’ TEAM SCORES: White Plains 306-297—603, Oxford 318-307—625, Alexandria 337-320—657, Weaver 341-347—688, Piedmont 360-331—691, Jacksonville 374-372—746, Ohatchee 473-NS.
GIRLS’ TEAM SCORES: Alexandria 260-262—522, White Plains 257-274—531, Oxford 314-300—614, Weaver 330-358—688.
BOYS’ ALL-CALHOUN COUNTY
Top 15
Nick Ledbetter, Weaver — 69-70—139
Sawyer Edwards, White Plains — 75-72—147
Cohen Acton, Oxford — 78-70—148*
Wyatt Cotney, White Plains — 72-76—148
Cam Hurst, White Plains — 79-73—152
Nic Boyd, Oxford — 82-74—156
Dalton Faulkner, White Plains — 81-76—157
Conner Williams, Piedmont — 83-74—157
Jamarcus Stokes, Alexandria — 77-81—158
Zach Goss, White Plains — 80-80—160
Fisher Prichard, Alexandria — 84-77—161
Brayden Cochran, Oxford — 78-84—162
Chip Mraz, Oxford — 81-81—162
Ryder Hudgins, White Plains — 81-81—162
Hayden Coppock, Oxford — 81-82—163
GIRLS’ ALL-CALHOUN COUNTY
Top 15
Isabel Rogers, White Plains — 79-85—164
Avery Prickett, Alexandria — 83-84—167
Navaeh Foster, Alexandria — 88-87—175
Annabelle Page, Oxford — 88-89—177
Marlee Hedgepeth, Alexandria — 89-91—180
Rachel Gattis, White Plains — 90-93—183
Madelyn Faulkner, White Plains — 93-96—189
Maylee Stewart, White Plains — 88-102—190
Savannah Simmons, Alexandria — 108-92—200
Alexis Cleveland, Weaver — 104-98—202
Camryn McElroy, White Plains — 105-99—204
Alli Pressley, White Plains — 104-101—205
Aubree Cobb, White Plains — 98-108—206
Chloey Page, Oxford — 112-112—214
Demari Grant, Weaver — 110-111—221
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