El Dorado will host a golf tournament today.

The 2019 golf season kicks off on Monday with El Dorado hosting the 24th Simmons Bank Wildcat Invitational Golf Tournament at the El Dorado Golf & Country Club.

If history is any indicator, the race for the team titles and medalist honors should be very tight.

A year ago, Hot Springs Lakeside snapped Bryant’s run as the two-time defending boys champions with a two-stroke victory, and El Dorado coach Chris Ezell believes those two teams are ones to keep an eye on again this year.

“I think the toughest one is going to be Lakeside,” Ezell said. “Lakeside and Bryant both have been outstanding teams for the past decade. I don’t see them dropping off too much. Those two have been battling it out for the last couple of years. I think those two will definitely be the ones to watch out for. Hopefully, our guys can compete with them.”

With Emma Hester earning medalist honors as a freshman, Sheridan captured the girls title with the top three schools finishing within 12 strokes of each other.

Now Hester is back to try and lead Sheridan to another title, but Hot Springs Lakeside, the defending 5A state champions, will also be in the mix.

“Emma Hester is only a sophomore, and she was medalist last year, so she’s definitely going to be one to watch,” Ezell said. “Lakeside is returning a couple, so you’ve

got those two teams that definitely stick out with the most recent success, but my young squad is going to be looking to see if they can stick their nose in there too.”

Bryant, Hot Springs Lakeside, Sheridan and Texarkana have been mainstays at the tournament, but rounding out the field is Sylvan Hills, who is playing in the event for the first time.

“I met the coach at a clinic last summer,” Ezell said. “We actually went to a match at his place last year. We got to talking, and I told him about our tournament. He wanted in and it worked out where we were able to invite them. This will be their first year competing in the tournament.”

A year ago, the Lady Wildcats finished third with the Wildcats winding up in fourth place, and Ezell is hoping his young squads will benefit from playing in a big event right out of the gate.

“I try to tell them that it’s going to be a big stage because you’ve got a lot of people,” Ezell said. “Most of them haven’t played golf in front of big crowds before. It’s one thing going out with your friends and just your teammates at practice, but with my kids being so young, they haven’t played in very many tournament settings, and they haven’t seen the crowds that can gather at events like this.

“We do have three tournaments on our schedule where there’s this many teams or more early on, so hopefully it will give them some experience and gain some understanding of what kind of emotions and surroundings are going to be like, because it’s like that at the state tournaments and conference tournaments.”