The Tyler Consolidated golf team has been busy this season, seeing action already on several courses in West Virginia and Ohio. The team’s record is now 4-12 with the rest of the season ahead of them.

At the Switzerland of Ohio Country Club in Beallsville, Ohio on Aug. 18, the Knights placed second overall with a team score of 192, just a point behind Beallsville who scored 191. Barnesville turned in a score of 203; and Monroe Central finished with a 210.

“We like to go over to play the Switzerland of Ohio course because it gives the players a chance to play the hills,” said head coach of the Knight golfers, Joe Griffith. “It’s a lot different than playing on a flat course-they have to adjust for uphill/downhill lies along with stances where the ball is above or below their feet. With Dalton, Corey and Swayde added back to the starting roster, we had a better team score, losing to host Beallsville by only one stroke.”

“Only Dalton had ever played the course before, so I think if we were to play those same teams again now that the rest of our players have seen the course, we would perhaps move to a first-place finish. Dalton had a good round to give him the medalist position for the match. He was medalist in two matches last year and is looking to improve on that this year.”

Wells, the overall medalist, turned in a score of 40 on the day. Corey Wells scored 42; Swayde Carpenter, 49; Luke Carpenter, 61; Johnathan Lancaster, 67; and Mitchell Higgins, 68.

On the course at North Bend on Aug. 20 at the Collins-Metz Memorial Tournament, named for the fathers of two Ritchie County players’ fathers who have passed away, the Knights had a rough day on the links. Home team, Ritchie County, took the tournament with a team score of 300, followed by Williamstown, 304; Roane, 334; Parkersburg Catholic, 336; St. Marys, 338; Buffalo, 353; Tyler Consolidated, 380; and Clay, 389.

“The course is hilly like the Switzerland course, with the addition of a small lake to hit over on two holes,” Griffith said. “Corey, Dalton and Swayde had played the course before, but not the other two. I thought our scores would have been lower on the day, especially with playing the same holes twice in one day.”

“Corey just missed making the all-tournament team. Dalton got into out-of-bounds trouble several times during the day, and Swayde was having trouble getting off the tee. This is our last 18-hole match until OVAC, LKC and Regionals come in late September. We had a busy week with four matches in a row. Now we will have a couple of days of practice before playing at home and then going north to Weirton. Williams is one of the nicest courses in the valley, and it it great that the players are getting to have a match there.”

Individually, Corey Wells had the low score on the day for the Silver with 78. Dalton Wells scored 92; Swayde Carpenter, 94; Luke Carpenter, 116; and Johnathan Lancaster, 133.

“I played well at Switzerland and was glad to finish as medalist, but I’m not happy with the way I played at North Bend,” Dalton Wells commented, while team mate Corey Wells said, “I started off the golf season sick, then was able to begin practicing every day. Now my golf game is getting back to normal, and I’m ready to get my game together and medal in a match.”

On Aug. 17 the junior varsity team played their only scheduled match of the season, at home on the Par 34 Sistersville Country Club course. “This the only match this season that we will play only our JV players, so our score was high,” Griffith said. “All of the players are first-year team members, and most of them have had very little golf experience prior to the start of the season. Isaiah Casenelli had just joined the team two days before, so he was playing some holes on his home course for the first time ever.”

Team results for the day had the Monarchs of John Marshall scoring 185; St. Marys boys, 199; St. Marys girls, 219; Paden City, 231; and Consolidated, 251.

Individual scores for the home team were Luke Carpenter, 56; Blake Carpenter, 62; Mitchell Higgins, 66; and Johnathan Lancaster, 67.

The Silver Knights will host Magnolia, Ritchie County and Paden City at Sistersville CC on Wednesday. On Thursday the team will travel to Weirton where they will face Weirton Madonna and Oak Glen at Williams Country Club, the site of the Regional tournament.