Pappas sets self up for title in 5 holes
JONESBORO — Devyn Pappas played the Sage Meadows Country Club course Wednesday morning as if it was made specially for him.
Pappas birdied four of his first five holes and went on to win the Class 4A boys state tournament medalist honors with a 3-under 69 on the 6,396-yard Par
72 course.
Pappas, a junior from
Valley View, won the tournament by five strokes over three other golfers.
“I had a lot of solid shots and a couple of good putts,” Pappas said. “It really set me up for the rest of my round because I was already 4 under. I just cruised from there.”
Aided by a pair of 77s from John Maurras and Hunter Jowers, Valley View also was able to claim the team title with a 223. Mena finished with a 239 to take the runner-up trophy.
Rhett South of Farmington, Jackson May of Pulaski Academy and Daniel Davis of Mena all shot 74s. South earned the No. 2 seed into next week’s Overall tournament at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock when he rolled in a birdie putt from 15 feet away on the second playoff hole. Jackson also advanced to the Overall. Davis was eliminated on the first playoff hole.
Pappas started his round by hitting his approach shot on the 464-yard Par 5 No. 1 hole to within 2 feet of the pin. He hit three consecutive birdies on the 501-yard Par 5 No. 3, the 337-yard Par 4 No. 4 and the 160-yard Par 3 No. 5.
Despite the torrid start, Pappas said he did not feel at home on the course.
“There’s a few shots where I don’t know what I need to hit all the time,” said Pappas, who mentioned he has played Sage Meadows fewer than 10 times. “I’m still left wondering in a few places. Eventually that will all go away. But I did feel comfortable today with my game and all of the shots I was hitting.”
Pappas finished 3 under on the front nine and at even par on the final nine holes. His fifth and final birdie came on the 353-yard Par 4 No. 10. He took a bogey on the 170-yard Par 3 No. 11 and finished his round with seven consecutive pars.
South, who played in the same group with Pappas, finished with a flourish, getting back-to-back birdies on No. 16 and 17. The Farmington freshman struggled on the 382-yard par 4 No. 14, taking a double bogey after hitting his second shot into the pond that sits in front of the green.
“I got pretty mad at myself after I went into the water,” South said. “I was down on myself because I knew I couldn’t win the tournament, but I started thinking that I could still qualify for the Overall. That gave me the energy I needed.”
While No. 14 was a disaster for his three playing partners, Pappas used it to end any doubt who was going to take home the first-place prize. Pappas hit a poor tee shot and was forced to chip out of the rough on his second shot. He recovered by sending his third shot to within 10 feet of the pin. He rolled in the putt to stay at 3 under and push his lead from four to six strokes over South.
“When two of my playing partners made doubles there, it kind of took a lot of weight off of my shoulders,” Pappas said. “I didn’t have to worry about them anymore.”