Tyler Consolidated freshman golfer Landen Miller along with Mason Nichols led the Silver Knights in scoring last week.

Among all local high school sports, golf is the earliest season to begin and the first to come to an end. The TCHS Knights golfers have finished their fourth week of the season, leaving four more weeks of regular season matches, followed by the regional tournament on September 30.

Last Monday, August 26, began a week that saw the linksters competing in two Varsity matches and one Girls match. The Monday match was a large home match, with the Knights hosting five other teams at the Sistersville Country Club. It was a rough night for the Silver and Black, as they came up short to all of the other full teams. Team scores for the Varsity were: St. Marys – 163; Linsly – 168; Fort Frye – 174; Williamstown – 182; Tyler – 212; and Paden City had only one player, as Will McGinnis ended with a round of 52. Medalist for the match was Linsly’s Ryan Dembiczak, who fired a two over par round of 36.

For the Knights, individual scores were: Mason Nichols – 44; Landen Miller – 50; Isaac Melvin – 59; Jackson Kibbey – 59; Ezra Reed – 60; Anna Griffith – 61; and Jesse Griffith – 65.

The low score for the Knights came from freshman Mason Nichols, who commented that “I am starting to get back in the rhythm of thingsand hope to keep it that way!”

Coach Joe Griffith reflected on the match by noting that “the Sistersville course is not easy. While almost all of the holes are simply straight down the middle, it can be tough for high school players to hit that kind of shot consistently for nine holes.”

Tyler Consolidated freshman golfer Mason Nichols along with Landen Miller led the Silver Knights in scoring last week.

Tuesday, August 27, found the only member of the TCHS Knights Girls Golf Team-Anna Griffith-participating in the annual “Girls Get Together to Play Golf” event at the Wheeling Park Golf Course. Anna shot a round of 59, placing her 20th out of 31 total female players. Medalist for the match was Hannah Jankuskas of Warren Local, who shot 40 for the nine-hole tournament.

Anna enjoyed her day of golf with the other girls: ” The Girls match was great to be in all four years of high school. I enjoy the Wheeling Park course, and it was a nice day for playing golf. My score was a little high, but I hit some nice shots. My group was a nice mixture of girls I have never met, along with some that I have played golf with before.

Coach Griffith gave a little background on the tournament: “The Girls Get Together to Play Golf” tournament has been going for four or five years, hosted by the John Marshall head coach, Dave Gaudino. I think it is a great event for girls from all around our area.”

The final match of the week was on Wednesday, August 28, as the Knights travled across the Ohio River to the Fairways Riverside Golf Course, near Sardis, where they finished 3-2 on the evening. Team scores were: Martins Ferry – 168; Magnolia – 178; Tyler – 199; Monroe Central – 205; River – 217; and Shadyside – 233. Paden City had one player, Will McGinnis.

Landen Miller had the low score for Tyler, with his round of 43 on the Par 36 front side of the course. Fellow freshman, Mason Nichols, had 46. Juniors Isaac Melvin and Jackson Kibbey shot rounds of 53 and 57, respectively. Jesse Griffith rounded out the scoring for the Silver and Black with his round of 62.

Landen reflected on his round: “I started out the match with a seven on the first hole, since I had to take a penalty. But I got better as the match went along, and over all I ended up shooting a 43, which isn’t too bad.”

Isaac Melvin noted the success of some of the younger members of the team: “Our freshmen are talented players, and as a team, we are holding our own.”

Jackson Kibbey was happy that his team finished ahead of other schools. “As a team, we shot better than we have been doing, and I was glad that we were able to beat several other teams.” The wins pushed the team record on the season to 19-27.

Matches for this week included Tuesday’s WV State Girls Invitational Tournament at the Mingo Bottom golf course near Elizabeth in Wirt County. Anna Griffith played in that tournament as the only representative from Tyler County. Also Tuesday evening, the rest of the Varsity team traveled to the Switzerland of Ohio Country Club, outside of Beallsville, Ohio, to take on Barnesville, River and Monroe Central.

The Tyler Consolidated Middle School Golf Team begins competition today, with a home match at Sistersville Country Club, hosting Belpre, Linsly, Ohio County, and one or two players from Paden City and River. Tomorrow, the middle schoolers will travel to Marietta to the Pioneer Golf Course to take on Marietta St. Marys and Edison.

Coach David Tucker noted that, “We have a lot of middle school golfers out again this year. Six of them have experience playing in matches, so that will help our efforts. We also have four new sixth graders, who look to have some promise for the future.”

Spectators are welcome at the local country club, with cart rental available.