By Carl Holcomb
Moorefield Examiner
Swinging through the fog and chilly air kept the Yellow Jackets frosty at the WVSSAC state golf tournament held at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling last Tuesday and Wednesday before the temperatures and stroke level began to rise.
Moorefield Golf entered the state tournament as the Class A Region II champions and competed against the best from around the state finishing in eighth place as a team with a score of 605.
The Yellow Jackets had success with two golfers placing in the Class A Top-25 as freshman J.J. Carr carded 198 for the two rounds in 23rd place overall (96-102) and senior Thomas Williams was tied for 25th place with a total of 200 (100-100).
Moorefield senior Trace Miller finished in 33rd place with a total of 215 for the two rounds (108-107).[private]
The last spot on the state tournament roster for the Yellow Jackets was shared by sophomore Ryan McGregor competing on the first day with a total of 100 and junior Hayden Baldwin filled the spot on the second day shooting a 108.
“I am really proud of the team. They have worked very hard to make it to this point. I like their demeanor and their poise. They have a lot of confidence playing on a course like this one. There are challenging holes you have to play, but our guys are composed and take the next shot and know they can’t do anything about a shot they already made. They look forward to the next shot,” Moorefield Golf coach Wade Armentrout remarked.
“I am extremely proud of Thomas [Williams] and Trace [Miller], our two seniors. It is great to know for next year we will already have players who have experience here. We have great underclassmen and look forward to them getting here again. It is good when you qualify as a team, it shows you have a lot of really good players. We’ve qualified individualists before, but for the past two years we’ve had back-to-back region team championships which is good for our school and our program. To set this as a goal and get here is great. Our level of play was raised when playing with other talented players from other groups. It was good to see them respond that way and finish well today.”
Moorefield’s remaining team members were in the gallery providing support for the quartet competing on the course.
Oglebay Resort’s Speidel Golf Club Robert Trent Jones designed course is one of the most challenging links featuring a total of 6,605 yards.
On the first day of the state tournament, Moorefield golfers paired with representatives from St. Marys, Parkersburg Catholic and Charleston Catholic.
The Yellow Jackets were joined by members of Webster County, Tucker County and Parkersburg Catholic on the second day of state action.
Prior to competing at the state tournament Moorefield Golf honored late coach Donna Riggleman, who passed away the day of the region championship, by creating a banner in her honor with two of her famous quotes and had a team picture taken with the banner at Oglebay Resort.
The quotes most often shared with the Yellow Jackets Golf team by coach Donna Riggleman were “In the game of golf…relax, concentrate, take your time and picture your next shot” and “Take one stroke at a time”.
“It was good to remember Donna and the kids responded well to that. They knew how much she meant to them and how much work she had done to help the team this year and over the summer and the seasons before. She promotes the program and always helps encourage the team with a kind word,” Coach Armentrout noted.
Carr shot for par on five holes (Nos. 4, 5, 10, 14, 15) and had six bogeys during the opening day of the state tournament in Wheeling and made four pars (Nos. 2, 4, 8, 11) with four bogeys on the second day.
Williams shot nine bogeys on the first day of state action and had one par plus seven bogeys in the second round.
Miller made three pars on the first day (Nos. 4, 10, 14) with six bogeys and notched one par (No. 4) with six bogeys on the second day of the state tournament.
McGregor made one par (No. 2) and had six bogeys on Tuesday, while Baldwin shot for par twice (Nos. 4 & 15) with six bogeys on Wednesday.
There was a ten minute separation between start times as the first group would make it about halfway down the fairway, then the next group would descend from the tee.
On both days, Moorefield golfers were among the first four quartets to ascend the Jones Course starting at the No. 1 hole.
Miller launched the ball from the hillside and it landed just shy of the golf cart path taking a large bounce.
Williams shot was near the path bouncing toward the left side of the fairway.
“It was almost fit for me to end my golf career here. It was a dream come true and my brothers got to come up and play here too. To win as a team and get here that way was the most deserving for all of us for our hard work this season. It is a fun time coming up here and I enjoyed it. What I liked most about the course was it was challenging. It was a good way to end my career on a nice course, really well-kept course. My favorite hole for today was Hole 10, I had a rough tee shot, but I chipped in for a bogey. The most challenging hole was No. 14, a par-5 with a small pond in front of the green. Everybody had some rough shots today, but you have to play through it and don’t let it bother you,” Moorefield senior Thomas Williams commented.
Baldwin’s tee shot sliced to the left ricocheting off a cabin and miraculously back into the field of play, then hit the second shot towards the sand trap avoiding the trees and the next shot down the fairway.
Carr’s tee shot curved to the right side of the fairway on the second day of competition.
Cutting in between the tree lines bordering the fairway and avoiding the bunkers along the green was paramount to completing this first hole which had a distance of 442 yards as a par-4.
Carr (7/6), Williams (6/5), Miller (8/7), McGregor (6) and Baldwin (9) were above the mark for the hole, but kept composure ending the putting to move on to the next challenge.
The second hole was a par-4 with a distance of 380 yards covering a straight fairway and a couple of bunkers greeting the golfers at the green.
Carr shot a bogey on the first day and made par on the second day navigating the second hole.
Williams shot a bogey twice on the second hole.
Miller used six strokes and eight strokes to finish the second hole on respective days.
McGregor shot for par on his favorite second hole and Baldwin notched a bogey.
The third hole at Oglebay Resort was filled with small mounds along the fairway creating a slalom style appearance and more sand traps at the top of the raised green on this par-4 412 yard hole.
It took seven strokes for Carr to complete the third hole both times, Williams hit a bogey and double bogey, Miller had a double bogey and eights strokes, McGregor shot seven strokes and Baldwin had a bogey.
The fourth hole was the signature par-3 hole for the Jones Course with a tee shot off the hill sending the ball over a pond to the green below and the shortest distance for the entire round at 148 yards.
Carr made par on both rounds on the fourth hole, Williams hit a bogey twice, Miller made par on both days, McGregor hit a double bogey and Baldwin hit for par.
All five golfers had no issue clearing the pond, although Williams had his second round tee shot sail up above the green on the hill and took an extra putt to finish.
Miller had the closest landing on the green among the Yellow Jackets in relation to the hole.
The fifth hole had a wide hillside fairway that angled around the corner to the green with a distance of 499 yards for the second longest on the course and required a par-5 destination.
Carr hit for par on the first day and needed three extra strokes on the second round, Williams hit a double bogey on both rounds, Miller used nines strokes the first day and a double bogey on the second attempt, McGregor finished with a bogey and Baldwin struggled with ten strokes.
Baldwin must have placed quite a back spin on the ball a couple times throughout the course making the ball ricochet just a couple feet from where he made contact.
The sixth hole was a par-4 with a distance of 399 yards going down a rolling fairway to the green bordered by trees and a bunker.
Williams had a tee shot veer off to the tall grass and the search for the ball took some time, then measured a drop with his club on the fairway to continue.
Baldwin and Miller (6/5) had the best round among the Yellow Jackets shooting a bogey on the sixth hole.
Carr and Williams carded a double bogey on both days and McGregor had a double bogey on Tuesday.
Miller launched his tee shot over the right side of the green down the embankment during the second day attempt on the seventh hole which was a par-3 with a distance of 202 yards.
“As region champion, it was really cool. It is saying you are one of the good teams from the region and you get to represent your team at state and people say you are good since your team is here. Every hole has its own unique challenge, like on hole no. 14 with the small pond. If you don’t have a good layup shot, then you basically have to layup again to make it across the pond. On the one hole, you are forced to hit into a tunnel, because of all the trees surrounding the fairway. You have to hit it straight. My favorite hole was no. 14, because I hit a bomb off the tee and made par today. The most challenging hole was probably 17, because you can get on the green, but if you don’t get on there you can roll off because of the slant. My divot was in the lip of the hole on that shot today hitting from 99 yards. It was my best shot of the tournament and I must have picked the right club,” Moorefield senior Trace Miller stated.
Miller hit for bogey and double bogey on the seventh hole, Carr hit for bogey twice, Williams hit a double bogey twice, McGregor notched a double bogey and Baldwin needed a triple bogey.
The eighth hole was a par-5 with a distance of 493 yards keeping the golfers honest with an incline and more sandy fun at the end.
Carr improved from the first day to the second day going from a double bogey to a par, Williams shot for double bogey both times, Miller hit a bogey twice, McGregor had a bogey and Baldwin finished with a double bogey.
The ninth hole felt like a day at the beach with six sand bunkers and had a distance of 400 yards as a par-4 with a nice backdrop of the clubhouse upon the approach to the green.
It was a rough outing for Carr on the ninth hole jumping from double bogey to nine strokes as the putting was harder than expected.
Williams garnered a double bogey and bogey on the ninth hole, Miller notched a bogey on both rounds, McGregor hit a double bogey and Baldwin hit a bogey.
There was a very brief break for the golfers to grab a hotdog, chips and water for lunch trying to scarf it down before hitting the majestic tenth hole launching next to the clubhouse.
The tenth hole featured a beautiful view of the mountain range and a wide fairway with trees along the left side, then the fairway cut the corner up to the green for a par-4 335 yard distance.
Miller just finished his meal in time to hit off the tee going for par on the first day and hitting a bogey on the second round.
If memory serves, Williams still had the hotdog in his mouth during his second round drive and ended up making a bogey on both rounds which wasn’t too hard to swallow.
McGregor and Baldwin hit for bogey on their respective round.
Carr shot for par on the first day and took a bogey on the second round.
Heading over to the 11th hole, a squirrel with a giant acorn dashed across the cart path and scurried up a tree to enjoy his treasure.
The golfers hit off a small hillside over the cart path and a wooden fence to reach the hole and had to avoid the sand traps awaiting adjacent to the green on this par-3 with a distance of 198 yards.
Miller hit a bogey on the first day and a double bogey on the second round.
Williams had a double bogey on the first day, but improved on the second round shooting for par.
Carr hit for bogey on the first round and made an improvement for par on the second day.
McGregor hit a double bogey and Baldwin hit a bogey on the 11th hole.
“It was a good feeling to come here as regional champions and we did the same thing last year. We lost PVC, but came back strong and won regionals. It wasn’t as hard as our regional course, the Raven. My favorite hole was no. 2, because that was the hole I parred the most. The most challenging hole was no. 14, it was a very long par-5,” Moorefield sophomore Ryan McGregor said.
The 12th hole was tricky sending the ball over a small pond to a fairway bordered on the left with hills and to the right was a forest, then more trees encompassed both sides turning the corner to the hole on this par-4 with a distance of 379 yards.
Not sure if Robin Hood was hiding in those trees collecting the errant balls hit into the abyss, but there were sounds coming from the trees (probably just deer and squirrels).
Carr had the best rounds for Moorefield on this hole among his teammates with a bogey on both days.
McGregor and Baldwin each shot a double bogey, while Williams hit a triple bogey and double bogey with Miller taking nine strokes and eight strokes.
The 13th hole was deceptive hitting off the tee with the trees shadowing the box going over a small shrubbery trying to sandwich on the fairway between hills and avoiding bunkers by the green on this par-4 with a distance of 378 yards.
Carr and Williams garnered a bogey on both days and Miller had a double bogey on both rounds.
McGregor hit a bogey and Baldwin needed a triple bogey.
The 14th hole was very challenging having the longest distance at 536 yards as a par-5 launching from the tee over more shrubbery, navigating the rolling fairway with trees to the right and a pond to clear at the edge of the green.
The only Yellow Jacket to make a splash in the drink was Baldwin finishing with a double bogey.
McGregor shot a bogey on his turn during the first day of action avoiding the pond.
Miller shot for par with an excellent drive off the middle of the fairway landing on the green the first day and hit a double bogey on the second round.
Williams went for a bogey on the first day and took nine strokes on the second round.
Hugging the tree line on the second day was what happened for Williams including a hillside chip from the rough to the green.
Carr hit for par on the first round and finished with eight strokes on the second day.
The 15th hole was a par-3 with a distance of 158 yards with the golfers going up the hill to launch the ball down beyond a rocky creek bed to the green with a couple of bunkers along the side and a full gallery of spectators.
Carr hit for par on the first round navigating the 15th hole and needed a double bogey to complete the second day.
“It was a very fun experience. I loved having the challenge here. My favorite hole was no. 10, it was a short par-4. The long holes were the most challenging and caused me to bogey or higher,” Moorefield freshman J.J. Carr noted.
Baldwin garnered a par on his solo round on Wednesday giving him two on the entire day.
Williams hit a bogey and double bogey, while Miller hit a triple bogey and double bogey and McGregor notched a bogey.
The last three holes were par-4 with distances of 398, 432 and 416 yards.
After a strenuous climb to the 17th hole, the path continued to wind upward to the 18th tee and the long fairway with a giant incline to deal with led up to the final view of the clubhouse with a sand trap to the left side of the green.
Miller improved four strokes on the 17th hole from nine down to a bogey including a miraculous shot from the trees with dead branches at his heels facing 100 yards to the hole and his stroke remarkably hit the flag pole and the ball ricocheted to the rim of the hole and bounced out making an easy putt.
The last three holes for Miller on the first day were 6-9-6 and the second day was 5-5-7.
Williams went 5-7-5 on the last three holes on the first day and took 5-6-6 on the second round.
McGregor hit a 5-6-6 and Baldwin finished with a 7-6-8 to conclude their respective rounds.
Carr hit 6-5-9 and 6-7-6 on the final three holes at the state tournament.
In Baldwin’s quartet, Webster County’s Sydney Baird made a remarkable shot chipping out of the sand on the 18th hole with the ball rolling into the hole.
In Carr’s group, Webster County’s Rigel made a long putt on the 18th hole and went on to compete in a playoff round to become the Class A overall low-medalist with a 165.
The Yellow Jackets gathered together after the match to find out the scores and encourage one another.
Despite finishing eighth overall as a team in Wheeling, these golfers have proven the legacy of the Yellow Jackets will continue to grow and the talent will become brighter in the future.
The Class A state golf team champion was St. Marys with a total of 532 strokes.
The Yellow Jackets share Valley View Golf Course with the Vikings and the lone state representative coming for a fourth straight season was Class AA Petersburg senior Nick Fleming, who finished as the state runner-up low-medalist with a total card of 158 (83-75).[/private]