The Greyhounds concluded the golf season with an overall finish of 10th in last week’s GHSA Class AAAA State Tournament. That placed Jones County among the state’s final top 10.
But for the JCHS golf program, it’s not seen as much as an end of a journey but a beginning. That’s because of the Greyhounds’ top six golfers that competed at state this year, all but one return from a group that also won an area title.
“We’re proud of ourselves, but we’re not satisfied,” Greyhounds head coach Lance Pittman said.
In fact, what were the Greyhounds returning golfers doing the day after last week’s state tourney? Making their way onto the golf course, according to the Greyhounds’ head coach.
“They’re already talking about how they want to be in the top five next year,” Pittman said.
Jones County wrapped up last week’s opening round in seventh place, just a few strokes from the top five. And that came after multiple occasions under which things could have gone further southward.
Jones County began its round on the back nine, and all six golfers found themselves behind the eight-ball after a tough go of it on the course’s 11th hole. But the Greyhounds rallied back. Cash Bearden went from being 7-over to 1-under at the turn with Hayes Miller making up seven or eight strokes to get to near par. Dixon Dowling bounced back from an out-of-bounds penalty from a shot bouncing off a sprinkler head to par-out final seven holes.
“Rather than packing it in and giving up, they fought back,” Pittman said. “They didn’t let a few bad shots affect the totality of their round.”
Bearden had Jones County’s lowest first-round score at 77 with Cooper Perry at 78. Hayes Miller fired an 80 with rounds of 81 coming by way of Lewis and Dowling.
Bearden and Dowling each had rounds of 79 on the second day with Miller having an 82, and freshman Gage Pittman’s score was highlighted by a birdie on the first hole.
Now, the Greyhounds embark on offseason with seniors Bearden and Holden Nipper being the only losses to graduation. It will lead toward next season for an experienced team with plenty of golfers aiming for a top-six spot on the roster, and that also includes an exciting future thanks to middle schoolers picking up course time over the past few years.
“It’s super exciting. With our middle schoolers being able to play lots of golf, they’re really going to be able to make immediate contributions at the high school level. That’s what is very exciting,” Pittman said. “Our middle school program is becoming such an important part of our success.”
