The Greenwood Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs are swinging well on the golf circuit so far this season, winning a series of recent matches over four different area teams, including Fort Smith Southside, Siloam Springs, Springdale Har-Ber, and Ozark. The two teams are coached by Ronnie Sockey (girls) and Tyler Woods (boys).
On August 19th Greenwood and Fort Smith Southside played the first of three scheduled matches dubbed as the Ryder Cup, named after the international competition between North American and European pro golfers. The match was played at Ben Geren Park in Fort Smith, a course very familiar to players from both schools.
In girls’ play, the Lady Bulldogs’ top duo, seniors Hallie Jones and Grace Woody, beat Southside's Haley Kline and Lela Kamolsiri in match play, 8-0. Jones and Woody combined to shot two-under-par, and Jones shot one under as an individual score.
Greenwood junior Maggie Leonard and sophomore Maleigha Carney defeated Southside’s Isabelle Vann and Merideth Pierce, also 8-0. The GHS girls won two points for the Lady Bulldogs in the first round of this year’s Ryder Cup matches, to be continued in September.
In junior varsity girls’ play, Greenwood sophomores Addison Curtis and Laci Cox teamed to shoot a 47, while sophomores Jesi Williams and Aliana Garcia, and freshman Lauren Oler combined to shoot a 50.
For the Bulldogs, seniors Chris Daggs (42) and Jake Spoon (42) won their match over Hart (45) and Hunter (44) from Southside. Junior Harrison Adams (41) and senior Deacon Drennan (46) also won their match over the Mavericks’ King (44) and Swaim (53). Sophomore Aiden Sockey (45) and senior Joe Russell (42) narrowly lost to Southside’s Thomason (41) and Kleck (45).
At Siloam Springs on August 23rd the Lady Bulldogs won again over the Lady Panthers. Hallie Jones was the medalist of the day with the best score of one-under-par 34. Grace Woody (48), Maggie Leonard (51), and Maleigha Carney (52) followed for a combined score of 185 to Siloam Springs’ 219.
Greenwood junior varsity scores included Jessica Williams (57), Addison Curtis (52), Laci Cox (59), Aliana Garcia (56), and Lauren Oler (59). With the graduation of Jones and Woody next spring, their two best players, the Lady Bulldogs definitely need to gain some experience this season to build for the future.
The GHS boys also played the Panthers at Siloam Springs Country Club. In varsity play the Bulldogs were led by Chris Daggs with a 37, followed by Jake Spoon (38), Harrison Adams (39), Deacon Drennan (42), and Joe Russell (40). Greenwood’s combined score of 154 was 28 strokes better than the Panthers (182).
Junior varsity scores included Aiden Sockey (48), Jay Wright (43), Jack Golding (45), Matt Parker (43), Railin Jordan (46), and Ben Bryan (55). Greenwood’s JV score of 177 was 50 strokes better than the Panthers’ 227.
At home on August 25th Greenwood defeated both Springdale Har-Ber and Ozark on the links at Vache Grass Country Club. The Lady Bulldogs won over Har-Ber 127 to 129 while Ozark had a score of 170 over nine holes. The medalist for the day was Hallie Jones with a one-over-par 37.
After Jones’ 37, Grace Woody fired a 40, Maggie Leonard carded a 50, and Maleigha Carney finished with a 55. The top three scores were used to calculate the team score of 127, two shots better than the Har-Ber girls. Junior varsity results included Addison Curtis (52), Jessica Williams (51), Alianna Garcia (51), and Laci Cox (55), for a team total of 154.
The Greenwood boys also played very well, winning over Har-Ber 161 to 184, with Ozark coming in third at 194. The medalist was Greenwood’s Deacon Drennan with a two-over-par 38. Other varsity scores included Chris Daggs (40), Jake Spoon (42), Harrison Adams (46), and Joe Russell (41). Junior varsity players included Aiden Sockey (53), Jay Wright (46), Jack Golding (52), Matt Parker (42), Railin Jordan (53), and Ben Bryan (51) for a team total of 191.
The two GHS squads return to action on Monday (Aug. 30th) against Van Buren and Alma at Ben Geren Park with a morning tee time of 10 a.m. to avoid the afternoon heat. Two days later, on Wednesday, they will host Siloam Springs and Fort Smith Northside at Vache Grass Country Club, also a 10 a.m. start.