Blairsville, Ga. – After being the most complete team in the Smoky Mountain Conference during the regular season, Murphy backed it up in the conference championship.
The Bulldogs won their second straight conference championship, taking the two-day, 36-hole event by 123 strokes over rival Robbinsville.”
“Just proud of those guys,” Murphy head coach Joseph Watson said. “They work
hard every day. We get on a bus and drive to Old Union (Golf Club) every day, we’re on a bus 40 minutes at least a day to go practice. Just a lot of hard work is paying off for them.”
Though Murphy got some challenges by individual golfers, no team could match the Bulldogs’ depth. Each of the five golfers were either named All-Conference or honorable mention, with freshman Connor Golden being named Smoky Mountain Conference Golfer of the Year after shooting a two-day total of 162 to win the individual competition by three strokes.
“He has been getting better every week,” Watson said of Golden. “He just continued to work hard, and that paid off for him in the conference tournament.”
Besides Golden, defending conference golfer of the year and junior Wyatt Simmons were named All-Conference after tying for second place, while sophomore Andrew Barolet joined the All-Conference team after tying for fifth. Freshman Bradey Golden and junior Harper Martin were named honorable mentions after finishing seventh and 10th, respectively, in the individual competition.
Murphy’s combined score from its top four golfers sat at 355 after the first day of competition, 42 strokes clear of the Black Knights. However, Watson said his team was a little disappointed in that
performance.
They made up for it in the second round, which took place at the Bulldogs’ home course of Old Union Golf Club. Murphy’s top four combined to shoot a 320, led by a 75 from Connor Golden.
The Bulldogs competed in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A West Regional Championship on Tuesday at Mountain Glen Golf Club in Avery County, which took place after this week’s edition of the Cherokee Scout went to press. The top three teams, and the top seven individual golfers not on a top three team, qualify for the 1A state championship, which take place Monday and Tuesday, May 9-10.