Garrard, Bishop win Gadsden Area tournament titles
Thu. April 19, 2012 at 9:09 p.m. | By Nick Johnston Sports Writer
Etowah's Brett Garrard fired a 3-under 69 Thursday to win the Gadsden Area Boys Golf Tournament at Twin Bridges. (Photo by Sarah Dudik | Gadsden Times)
For Etowah’s Brett Garrard, there’s no place like home.
Garrard fired a 3-under 69 Thursday to win the Gadsden Area Boys Golf Tournament championship at Twin Bridges Golf Club in Gadsden.
“This is my home course,” said Garrard. “It means everything to me. ... It’s huge.”
The Gadsden City boys won the team event for the second time in school history, led by Bo Hayes and J.D. Dawson. Hayes shot 73 and Dawson had a 74 as the Titans carded a 312 to beat Westbrook Christian’s 318 and Southside’s 322.
“This is a great win for us,” Gadsden City coach Chance Goodwin said. “These kids have busted their tails everyday to get better, and I really appreciate the effort.”
On the girls side, Glencoe’s Hope Bishop fired an 80 to take home the low medalist honor and claim the championship. Westbrook Christian’s Allie Porter and April Godsey both shot 88 to lead the Warriors to the team championship. Westbrook finished with a 266, Glencoe had a 286 and Southside was third with a 314.
Bishop posted her lowest round ever at Twin Bridges in winning the girls individual title. The soft-spoken freshman was all smiles following the victory.
“I’m just thankful for being able to play,” said Bishop, who shot a 37 on her second nine for the eight-stroke win.
Westbrook got consistent play from all of its players, as Ella Lawley had a 90 and Katie Cone went for 92. Madison Cole finished with a 94 for Glencoe, while Ashley McCormick had a team-low 92 for Southside.
In winning the boys championship, Garrard stayed steady throughout his round. After a couple of early bogeys, the junior fought back to even par at the turn before carding a 3-under 33 on the back.
On the 17th, Garrard thought he was one stroke behind early leader Riley Wilson, of Hokes Bluff, and made an aggressive play to the pin. It worked out beautifully, as Garrard holed the birdie putt and went into the final hole with a five-stroke advantage.
Wilson was 4-under through five holes and looked to be heading for a runaway victory. Instead, he struggled on the back 9 — including a triple bogey on No. 17 — and finished as the runner-up in the tournament for the third year in a row with a 73.
Harrison Martin led Westbrook with a 75 and teammate J.H. Catanzaro finished with a 76. Southside was led by Chris Leonhardt and Bradley Hindsman, who both recorded 77s. Christopher Tinker paced Glencoe with a 76 and Jack Sims had an 81.
For fifth-place Hokes Bluff, Jay Boatwright joined Wilson in breaking 80 with a 78. Jesse Force had a 77 for Sardis, and Tee Brown carded a 73 for Etowah.
Gadsden Area Boys Golf Tournament
Thursday
At Twin Bridges Golf Club
Gadsden
Brett Garrard, Etowah 69
Riley Wilson, Hokes Bluff 73
Bo Hayes, Gadsden City 73
Tee Brown, Etowah 73
J.D. Dawson, Gadsden City 74
Harrison Martin, Westbrook 75
J.H. Catanzaro, Westbrook 76
Christopher Tinker, Glencoe 76
Chris Leonhardt, Southside 77
Bradley Hindsman, Southside 77
Jay Boatwright, Hokes Bluff 78
Parker Brown, Westbrook 80
Jack Sims, Glencoe 81
Graham Gunter, Southside 82
Dawson Ogletree, Gadsden City 82
Jesse Force, Sardis 83
Andrew Lang, Glencoe 83
Miller Upton, Gadsden City 83
Cole Fairley, Glencoe 84
Dalton Casey, Sardis 85
Kevin Chastain, Sardis 85
Trey Irwin, Glencoe 85
Chris Burley, Southside 86
J.P. Pirani, Westbrook 87
Matthew Williams, Westbrook 87
Trey Perry, Gadsden City 89
Sawyer Cahela, Sardis 92
Sam Ford, Hokes Bluff 93
Will Jones, Etowah 97
Boone Tidmore, Hokes Bluff 98
Dylan Borders, Southside 100
Jordan Jackson, Hokes Bluff 102
Tristan McCurley, Sardis 108
Keegan Bost, Etowah 116
Austin Jenkins, Etowah 116
Team Results
Gadsden City 312
Westbrook 318
Southside 322
Glencoe 324
Hokes Bluff 342
Sardis 345
Etowah 355
Gadsden Area Girls Golf Tournament
Thursday
At Twin Bridges Golf Club
Gadsden
Hope Bishop, Glencoe 80
Allie Porter, Westbrook 88
April Godsey, Westbrook 88
Ella Lawley, Westbrook 90
Katie Cone, Westbrook 92
Ashley McCormick, Southside 92
Madison Cole, Glencoe 94
Cierra Sanders, Southside 101
Christian Riddlespur (I), Etowah 106
Brae Buckner, Southside 111
Jordyn Clowdus, Glencoe 112
Cassie Davis, Southside 114
Madison Autwell, Glencoe 115
Team Results
Westbrook 266
Glencoe 286
Southside 314
Editor's note: This story has been edited from its original version to correct that Gadsden City’s win in the Gadsden Area Boys High School Golf Tournament was the second time in school history.