Barrett '22 advances to state golf tournament

By Trent Boysen, HS Head Golf Coach

Monday, Sept. 27 five Tigers competed in the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Regional Golf Tournament where only the top two teams and top two individuals for boys and girls, respectively, advance to the state tournament. 

Senior Will Barrett has been on the heels of a breakthrough performance for quite some time. He has buckets full of enough above par rounds, but none that sit at or under par through four years of HS golf. He is capable for sure, so we knew it would only be a matter of time, and on what could've been his final performance for USN golf, it finally happened. He played great all day, which he usually does. He was two over par going into his last two holes; the notoriously difficult No. 18 and the somewhat easier No.1. Will’s drive on 18 put him to a distance that made choosing our team mandate of “this is a lay-up hole” a head scratcher. Were the coaches mental? No! Ultimately with this charge, our team  played the 18th two under for the day. Let this sink in — Will is two over, looking at 180-ish into a tight green, no room in back at all, and water completely covering the front and sides. With the possibility that this might be his final game looming overhead, Will went for it and scored birdie. Now he is one over with one to play. A beautiful drive, followed by a fantastic approach left Will just above the hole with about seven foot for a birdie. This type has gotten the best of him this year, just far enough that a slight push or pull and the ball lips out. He has remedied this by being aggressive and basically slams it home. This worked; he made the putt, and scored back-to-back birdies to finish with an even par 72. This score set two records — Will's lowest round in a tournament for USN and the school's all-time low round record previously held by Eli Murphy '19. Will's score was enough to earn him a trip to the TSSAA State Golf Tournament held Oct. 7 and 8 in Sevierville. 

Meanwhile, Russ Petty '22 demonstrated significant improvement from when he first joined the team. He stayed in his zone, played some great golf, and finished at 82, a respectable score, but not enough to qualify for the state tournament. 

In the girls' team competition, the stellar play of Kate Vaughn '24, Ainsley Moore '24, and Emily Law '24 were poised to make a serious run for a chance at the state tournament. In a tough region, Emily finished with an 87, Kate with an 81, and Ainsley with a 78. The girls finished third in the region with 159, and while it wasn't enough to take them to state, we know these young athletes will be fierce competition next season.