Lakeside golfer wins first match

LITTLE ROCK — Hot Springs’ Gracen Blount advanced in the Arkansas State Golf Association Junior Match Play Championship here Tuesday.

An incoming Lakeside High senior and seeded 13th, Blount prevailed 1 up over No. 4 seed Bailey Dunstan, of Little Rock. Blount has a morning quarterfinal today against No. 5 Mackenzie Lee (North Little Rock), a 3-and-2 winner over No. 12 seed Sydney Steiner (Conway).

Top seed Brooke Matthews won 1-up over Kate Robertson, both of Rogers, and No. 2 seed Josie Roberson (Maumelle) breezed past Rogers’ Kinslee Miller 5 and 4. Also advancing were No. 3 Elizabeth Moon (Forrest City), No. 6 Audrey Pulliam (Little Rock), No. 7 Hannah Bakalekos (Sherwood) and No. 9 Alexis Montgomery (Maumelle).

Both Hot Springs boys in the tournament lost in the first round.

Zach Brown, seeded 64th after qualifying with an 85 Monday, fell 6 and 5 to top seed Blaine Calhoon, of Ward. Calhoon, the defending champion, then fell 3 and 2 to No. 32 seed Denver Davis, of Fayetteville, in the afternoon round.

No. 60 seed Ryan Camras, of Hot Springs, lost 1 up to No.

5 seed Evan Griffith (Greenwood), who then fell 3 and 2 to No. 37 Zayne Madden, of Ashdown.

Little Rock’s Hunter Hickingbotham, first-round leader in last week’s ASGA Amateur Championship in Hot Springs Village, advanced to the round of 16 with victories Tuesday of

5 and 4 over No. 63 seed Drake Lindsey (Fayetteville) and 3 and

2 over No. 34 seed Logan DePriest (Marshall).

Others advancing included No. 3 seed Connor Gaunt (Cabot), No. 4 seed Parker Jennings (Marion), No. 7 Jackson Cole (Fayetteville), No. 8 Logan Greer (Harrison) No. 9 Miles Smith (Little Rock) and No. 10 Logan Stephens (Cabot).

Two rounds each are scheduled today and Thursday in the boys’ division. The girls’ final is

9 a.m. Thursday.