Published: October 24, 2009 11:35 pm      

Second, and sad

Highlanders slip up on Hornets, win tournament by one shot

The Hornets wore some long faces up to the scoreboard at Elkins Lake late Saturday afternoon. They did not want the second-place plaque.

Leading by seven shots heading into the final round of the Huntsville Boys Fall Classic golf tournament, the Hornets stumbled a bit Saturday and let The Woodlands’ No. 2 team rally and beat them by a single shot.

The Highlanders shot team scores of 316 and 307 for a 623 total, while the Hornets turned in scores of 307 and 317.

After posting four scores in the 70s on a windy day at Raven Nest on Friday, the Hornets managed only two scores in the 70s on a perfect day for golf at Elkins Lake.

Senior Brent Baker followed his first-round 78 with a 75 Saturday, while junior Cody Sammons turned in a 79 to go with his opening 75.

Huntsville seniors Ryan Bennett (78-81 — 159) and Tyler Belovsky (76-82 — 158) both ran into trouble Saturday. Freshman Cory Sammons (83-94 — 177) had some problems, too.

Missed putts, balls in the bunkers and other costly mistakes ended up costing the Hornets a chance to claim the top prize at their first home tournament of the school year.

“We handled it very well, but don’t let that fool you,” Huntsville golf coach Marcus Evans stressed. “I told the guys that I was going to go home and kick the dog, and the cat better watch out. They all got a laugh about that, but none of us liked what happened today. My stomach did a flip when I saw that we got beat by one.”

Evans said the Hornets may have let The Woodlands’ No. 2 team sneak up on them. Going into Saturday’s round, Huntsville led the Highlanders by nine strokes in the team competition.

Klein Oak, which shot 314-315 — 629, was seven shots off the pace and Lufkin was even with the Woodlands’ No. 2 team.

“Our guys didn’t realize The Woodlands was playing as well as they were,” Evans said. “I watched a lot of golf on the front nine and I didn’t think The Woodlands was making much of a move. They must have gotten hot on the back nine.

“We made some mistakes and those mistakes cost us.”

Sammons, who was playing in the lead spot for the Hornets on Saturday, didn’t have to think long to come up with the holes where he threw shots away. Sitting by himself while waiting for the final scores to be posted, Sammons listed off a few places where he could have saved strokes.

“The second and third holes on the Ravines, and number two on the Lakes — I hit the ball in the bunker and made a bogey there,” Sammons said. “I just didn’t putt very good on that hole. I hit the ball really well today and had a lot of really good drives. ... We’ve just got to concentrate more and putt a little better.”

Bennett’s day got off to a rough start. He took a quadruple-bogey 9 on the par-5 second hole at the Ravines. Two balls went into the water that fronts the green. Bennett also four-putted a green.

“If I make a nine with a four-putt and shoot 81, I’m there,” Bennett said while watching his teammates wrap up their rounds. “I’ve just got to get rid of those mistakes. Do that and I shoot 75 or 76.”

Baker played another steady round Saturday. He adjusted to a strange change in his usual ball flight and managed his way around the course.

“It was a struggle all day long,” Baker explained. “I couldn’t get the ball to go where I wanted it to go, so I just tried to get it close to the greens. I wasn’t hitting the ball solid at all. I just kept getting it around the greens and tried to save pars. I had to grind for every par today.”

Evans said he was glad to see the Hornets upset about their second-place finish. The tournament was theirs for the taking, and Huntsville did not snatch up the first-place prize.

Finishing second to a Class 5A powerhouse like The Woodlands, especially this early in the season, is quite an accomplishment.

“We had a solid first day, but we could have improved our score today and won by five or six strokes at least,” Baker said. “We usually improve as the season goes on and this is only our second tournament of the year. We didn’t play our best, and still we got second and only lost by one shot. We all know we can still do better.”

“We’re going back to Austin,” Cody Sammons added. “Definitely, we’ll be back. We’re going back to state for vengeance. We’re not going home eighth this time.”

The Hornets have one more varsity tournament this fall on Dec. 4-5 at Crown Colony in Lufkin, then they’ll start preparing for the spring season which gets under way Jan. 18-19 at a tournament hosted by Klein High School at Gleannloch Pines and Augusta Pines.