Ritz takes second at golf teams’ finale: Lady Pioneers finish third; WCMS boys take sixth
Warren County Middle School’s Tori Ritz finished one stroke away from the championship at the Middle Tennessee Classic golf tournament Monday.
Ritz shot a nine-hole total of 48 under overcast, windy conditions at Tullahoma’s Lakewood Country Club, one stroke behind Tullahoma’s Morgan Hale, won took the low medalist title among the 26 girls competing in the event.
“We’re really going to have a hard time replacing Tori next year,” said coach Joe Collins. “She’ll be moving on up to the high school, and I’m sure she’ll have a good career there.”
The Lady Pioneers placed third out of nine teams which took part in the Classic, combining for a team total of 117. Tullahoma won the event, shooting a 97.
Jenifer Evans shot a 71 for WCMS, while Casey Hopkins finished with a 69. The top two scores from each girls squad were combined for the team total.
The Pioneer boys finished sixth out of 12 teams, combining for a 371 total. Andrew Brock came in with the lowest 18-hole score among the Pioneers, carding an 85. Brock finished in a three-way tie for ninth place overall, but settled for 10th after going to a scorecard playoff.
Alex Self had an 88 for the Pioneers, while Cody Durham shot a 95 and Adam Wood had a 103. Will Stern and Tony Grissom also completed for the Pioneers, who combined their top four scores to reach their team total.
Murfreesboro Siegal finished first overall with a 331 total, with Jason Millard taking low medalist honors with a 75.
“We had a great year, and had a lot of talent on this team,” Collins said of his squads’ 2002 season. “Some of these boys and girls will move on to help the high school teams next year, and they’ll be missed.
“But I’m looking forward to next year with the sixth- and seventh-graders that I’ve got coming along. We hope to have a real good year with both teams.”