Cabot feels right at home after first round

CABOT — The Cabot Panthers demonstrated the benefits of home-course advantage in the first round of the Class 6A boys state golf tournament at Rolling Hills Country Club on Tuesday.

Led by seniors Blaine Calhoon and defending Overall state individual champion Connor Gaunt, Cabot’s team scored a 272, 16-under-par on the par-72 course. Little Rock Catholic is in second at 286. Fayetteville, winners of the past five state championships, is in third at 292.

Calhoon leads the medalist competition at 8-under 64. Gaunt is next at 66, followed by Catholic’s Jake Daniels at 67. Lucas Teoh of Fort Smith Southside is in fourth at 69.

Gaunt said he has played “probably a thousand rounds” at Rolling Hills.

“I didn’t hit a shot that I haven’t seen,” Gaunt said. “I know what I can do out here. I’ve seen pretty much every shot on the course.”

Calhoon said putting helped him tie his best score out of hundreds of rounds on the course. He used 25 putts

and did not miss from within 10 feet.

Calhoon finished with nine birdies and one bogey. After his bogey, when his drive on the par-4 14th was blocked by trees, he birdied Nos. 15-17, a run highlighted by his approach on the narrow dogleg-left 17th, a 386yard par 4. He hit a 50-degree wedge over a tree from 145 yards to about 3 feet.

“When it landed and stuck, I was really excited, for sure,” Calhoon said.

Cabot assistant golf coach Kelly Spencer filled in for head Coach Mike Tucker, who she said was homebound after eye surgery. Spencer said members at Rolling Hills drove Cabot’s bid to secure this season’s state tournament.

“All five of our players grew up on this golf course, so it’s home,” Spencer said. “I think anywhere you go, the people who think they have a shot to win are going to try to host it. The members really made a push for us to host because they’ve watched these boys grow up.”

Gaunt birdied three of the final four holes, but he bogeyed No. 17 when he chipped to 5 feet but pushed his sliding downhill par-save attempt to miss by inches.

“It was a tough putt going down the hill,” Gaunt said. “I was aiming left edge, and I putted center and missed it on the right.”

Gaunt, who has committed to play for Arkansas Tech University next year, said he feels no pressure.

“All I can do is tell myself that I’m playing for myself and my team,” he said. “I’m just trying to impress myself, not anyone else out here.”