A couple of high school golfers’ hard work paid off at regionals.
Two Burnet High School golfers competed at the Class 4A Region III tournament at Bearkat Golf Course in Huntsville.
Junior Avery Gowin competed in the girls tournament April 14-15 and sophomore Hays Bennett competed in the boys tournament April 16-17.
Hays shot a 91-90181 to finish 43rd in the standings.
Gowin shot her season best when it counted the most, scoring an 8488--172 to finish tied for seventh overall and two positions away from qualifying for the Class 4A state tournament.
“That’s a very hard course if you’re a good golfer,” Lady Dawgs head coach Doug Messer said. “If you’re not really that good, you’re going to struggle. There’s a lot of skinny fairways and a lot of trees; they’re all over the place. Avery battled really well. She’s a good golfer.”
This is Gowin’s third trip to the regional tournament, which is a testament to her commitment and talent in the sport, he said.
“Avery works extremely hard in all parts of her game,” he said. “At (the) district (tournament in March) she struggled in putting and chipping. In the two weeks after, she really focused on chipping and putting. You have to identify your weaknesses and when you do, go work on them.”
Her hard work paid off, the coach added, as illustrated by her three consecutive birdies in the first round.
“She took a lot of pride in her golf game,” he said.
District 24-4A foes Lampasas is the regional champion and Salado finished third.
“When two teams out of your district advance to state, that’s quality,” Messer said. “It’s good to see the girls’ game of golf get notoriety.”
Jennifer Fierro publishes reports about area youth athletic events on her website TexasChalk-Talk.com. To send her a note, email fierrojennifer@ yahoo.com.
