Golf season to start
High school golf season gets underway this week, and Jonesboro will begin its Class 5A title defense Wednesday when it participates in a tournament hosted by Valley View.
The cast of characters will be different than it was last year for Jonesboro golf Coach Blake Mackey. The objective remains the same.
The high school golf season kicks off today with several teams participating in various tournaments across the state. On July 23, the Arkansas Activities Association gave golfers the go-ahead to start after the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic.
That news was especially big for the Hurricane because it meant they’d get a chance to defend their Class 5A boys state title. Jonesboro’s defense will begin Wednesday when it participates in a tournament hosted by nearby Valley View, which captured the Class 4A crown.
Mackey has had to retool both his boys and girls teams during the offseason, and the pandemic did him no favors. High school facilities and activities were shut down from mid-March until June 1. Mackey had to adjust his plans.
“We usually have our tryouts, if we’re going to need them, before the school year is out,” he said. “But we really didn’t get cleared to do anything with that until early June. So really, all we were able to do in June was have our tryouts to kind of determine who would be on our teams.
“But we’ve been practicing for three weeks now, and that’s been a good thing for us as a group. We’ve had to adjust, of course, but things like social distancing isn’t as difficult in golf as it is in some of the other sports. The players have handled everything pretty well.”
Mackey, who’s in his fifth season as the school’s golf coach, said some of his players played throughout the summer.
The Jonesboro boys won their ninth state title in the past 10 years and 13th overall last season when they held off Hot Springs Lakeside at Glenwood Country Club in Glenwood.
Ben Sherman shot an even-par 72 to finish second while Caleb Williams tied for seventh with an 8-over 80 as the Hurricane won by 13 strokes. Those two have graduated, so Mackey will lean on others.
“[Ben and Caleb] were two really good players, but we knew we’d have to get some new guys ready,” he said. “Ro Gibson is a senior, and one of those that we think is ready to step in and lead us a little bit. He comes from a golf family and made all-state last year. His brother, Will, was a good player, won the overall state title with us as a sophomore and is now playing in Fayetteville for the Razorbacks.
“Ro has kind of worked his way up and gotten a little better each year. He’s probably playing better right now than he did last season.”
Mackey also said Jackson Adams, another senior, has been playing just as well as Gibson. Carrington Reid, a junior, was among the team’s top five players a year ago. Sophomore Brayden McKinney and freshman Win Paul Gibson are expected to contribute immediately.
“Brayden played one time in a varsity match, and it didn’t go too good for him,” Mackey said. “But he’s been playing solid in the low 80s and has been pretty consistent.
So that’s encouraging. Win is a good tennis player, too, but he’s very capable of putting together some low scores.”
Like the boys, Mackey is replacing a pair of seniors on his girls team, but he’s optimistic that players such as freshman Caroline Hughes can replace what he’s lost.
“She’ll play in our No. 1 spot,” Mackey said. “She’s a strong player who plays a lot of golf in the summer. She’s capable of shooting in the 70s at any time.”
The Hurricane normally open the year with a tournament in Mountain Home, but they’re choosing a different route this time around. Valley View’s event will give his teams a chance to play in Jonesboro.
“Normally we’d go up to Mountain Home and stay a couple of nights,” Mackey said. “But with how everything is right now, that didn’t seem feasible to us. It’s always been a neat way to start our season, and we’re certainly going to miss that.
“But playing right here in Jonesboro is a good way to get us started. Plus, it’s easier for parents to get to see them play. Hopefully, it’ll work out just fine.”