The TCHS Golf Teams, including the Varsity, Girls, and JV Teams, competed in five matches last week in the heat of August. The Varsity team traveled to Clair-Mar and St. Marys, while the Girls Team competed at Clair-Mar and Mingo Bottom, and the JV Team teed it up on the hills of the North Bend Golf Course.

The Varsity team had their first of two matches on Wednesday, August 14, as they played the flat Clair-Mar Course near Powhatan, Ohio. It was a good outing for the Knights, as they came away 4-1 on the day. Freshman Landen Miller paced the local team with his round of 42 on the Par 36 course. That placed him in a tie for fifth place in the field of 34 golfers. Senior Anna Griffith and freshman Mason Nichols both finished at 47, with junior Isaac Melvin ending with 50. Freshman Jesse Griffith had 52, while sophomore Ezra Reed struggled to a round of 65 on the day.

Team scores were: St. Clairsville – 166; Tyler – 186; Shadyside – 209; Union Local – 209; River – 217; and Bridgeport – 221. Medalist for the match was Saul Crist, of St. Clairsville, with one over par, 37.

Landen Miller was happy with his round: “We had a good week this week as we got second at Clair-Mar as a team. I played pretty well and was happy with what I shot.”

Isaac Melvin reflected on the team’s record of 12-11 following the match: “Starting off this season with a winning record speaks to the determination and skill of our team. Hopefully, we will continue to focus and add to our wins.”

The Varsity Team also competed in the rain-delayed St. Marys Invitational on Friday afternoon.

The event was originally set for last Tuesday, but impending rain moved it to the end of the week and shortened it to nine holes. Scores were high for the Knights, as they finished 0-4 on the day, although they would have beaten several other teams if those teams had had four players to count a team score.

Landen Miller led the way again, with a round of 46 on the Par 32 course. Fellow freshman, Mason Nichols, and sophomore, Ezra Reed, added scores of 48 and 49, respectively. Isaac Melvin rounded out the scoring for the team total with his round of 51. Jackson Kibbey had 54.

Team scores were: St. Marys – 158; Ritchie – 165; Roane – 167; Ravenswood – 177; and Tyler – 194. Williamstown, Parkersburg Catholic, Wirt and Paden City all had only three or two players available for the make-up date, and could not count a team score. Medalist for the tournament was Xaiver Caruthers, of Williamstown, with a round of two over par, 34.

Ezra Reed was happy with his improvement of more than ten strokes over Wednesday’s round at Clair-Mar: “I have started to improve my game, and I am having a lot of fun this season so far.”

Mason Nichols remarked that “I continue to work on my short game as much as possible, while maintaining long distance drives. I look forward to playing on our home course this Monday.” The Tyler Girls Golf Team-consisting of only Anna Griffith-traveled to Clair-Mar on Monday, August 12. Anna shot a round of 49, placing her 3rd out of the field of 23 girls. Lakyn Parker, of John Marshall, was medalist with her round of 43.

Team scores were: John Marshall – 204; Fort Frye – 223; and River – 231. Shadyside and Parkersburg South also had one or two female players competing.

On Friday, Anna played in the John Marshall Girls Invitational at Mingo Bottom Golf Course in Wirt County. Mingo is the site of this year’s WV State Girls Invitational Tournament coming up on September 3, along with being the site of both the LKC and Regional Tournaments that the Knights will compete in toward the end of the season.

It was a very hot and sunny day, as Anna finished with a total of 116 on the Par 72 course. This placed her 20th out of the 32 girls playing a full 18 holes, while eight JV Girls played on nine holes. Senior Krista Davis, of Ritchie, shot an excellent round of 81 to finish as medalist.

Senior Captain, Anna Griffith, looked back on her week of golf: “I played Clair-Mar twice this week and improved my score by two strokes. Both times there were enough girls that I was able to play in a group of all girls. It was fun”But Friday was a very hot and very long day. I did not shoot a good score, but I enjoyed playing golf with everyone in my group.”

Her coach agreed that the heat of the day affected her game: “Playing in the hot sunshine for six or seven hours can really sap your strength,” said Coach Joe Griffith. “Her first nine holes were fine, but the second half of the day just wore her down. Mingo is not her favorite course, but she will have three more events there to improve her score.”

The JV team played on Monday at North Bend, as part of five matches from the past week. With only four players for the Knights, all scores counted toward the team total. The JVs finished 1-2 on the day, with Frontier’s 188 leading the way, followed by 218 from Ritchie. Tyler was one stroke back at 219, and Roane finished at 237.

Individual scores for the Knights were: Landen Miller – 45; Mason Nichols – 46; Ezra Reed – 61; and Jesse Griffith – 67.

Jesse commented on his two matches of the week: “My score on Monday at North Bend was not very good, but Wednesday I did much better at Clair-Mar. I hope to continue to get better.”

The Varsity Team’s upcoming schedule has two matches set for this week, including their first home match this past Monday at the Sistersville Country Club. They took on John Marshall, Linsly, Magnolia, Paden City, River, along with JV teams from Ritchie and JM. On Thursday, the Varsity Knights will travel to Oglebay Park’s Crispin Golf Course to face Linsly.

The Varsity Team’s record stands at 14-17, while the JV record is 1-2.