shs golfers get mercy from mother nature

A tough day opening day on the links for the Seymour High School golf team was cut short by Mother Nature Monday afternoon.

In a four-way match with Carter, Harriman and Knox-Central, the Eagles were struggling to what looked to be a third-place overall finish before a summer thunderstorm set itself down on River Islands Golf Club in Kodak, prompting match-officials to cut the competition short just as the four teams’ number five players were approaching the final hole.

According to TSSAA rules, says an administrator at River Islands Monday, a match does not go down in the books as official unless it is played to its duration.

“We just didn’t play well,” said SHS head golf coach Gary Householder. “But if you don’t finish then it’s not a match. I think it would have been the second time Carter had beaten us in the last five years.”

Unofficially, Carter, led by event medalist Cole Kimball’s round of 36, finished play with the team-lead with an overall total of 157. Central, led by Parker Hall’s round of 37, finished the day in second place with a total of 162.

The Eagles, with three different players—Andrew Ramsey, Taylor Lindsey and Spencer Rudder—finishing nine holes with a total score of 42, would have finished a disappointing third had the match been deemed official. Seymour’s Derrick Rickles was the last SHS golfer to complete nine holes before the rain came. Rickles posted a score of 45 on the day.

Michael Bennett, a Seymour High School freshman who joined the team a few days ago after beating out three other golfers during a tryout session at Creekside Plantation, was the only Seymour player not to finish his round. Bennett’s group was teeing off on the ninth hole when the match was called off.

The Lady Eagles, consisting of senior Maggie Dew, junior Bailey Webb and sophomore Megan Gamble, were at about the halfway point of their match when play was called off.

The Seymour coaches said there was no word as of Tuesday morning on the status of a possible makeup match or how Monday’s rain-out will officially go down in the books.

The Lady Eagles’ scores from Monday were not available because the match was called so early in the girls’ competition, which typically begins just after the final boys player tees off.

Seymour will next play Thursday against county rivals Gatlinburg-Pittman and Pigeon Forge at the Gatlinburg Country Club.