HIGH SCHOOL GOLF

Catholic's Smith holds on; Fayetteville top team

Miles Smith of Little Rock Catholic reacts after missing a putt on the seventh hole Wednesday during the Class 7A boys state golf tournament at Centennial Valley Country Club in Conway. Smith shot a 1-under 71 to claim medalist honors over Cabot’s Connor Gaunt.
Miles Smith of Little Rock Catholic reacts after missing a putt on the seventh hole Wednesday during the Class 7A boys state golf tournament at Centennial Valley Country Club in Conway. Smith shot a 1-under 71 to claim medalist honors over Cabot’s Connor Gaunt.

CONWAY -- Miles Smith withstood breezy conditions, punishing pin placements and -- most of all -- the constant pressure of Connor Gaunt to claim medalist honors Wednesday afternoon at the Class 7A boys state golf tournament at Centennial Valley Country Club.

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Little Rock Catholic senior Miles Smith shot a 1-under-par 71 despite breezy conditions and tough pin placements during Wednesday’s final round to claim medalist honors at the Class 7A boys state golf tournament at Centennial Valley Country Club in Conway.

Smith, a senior at Little Rock Catholic, shot a 1-under 71 on Wednesday and finished the two-day tournament with a 6-under 138. Back-to-back birdies on Nos. 9 and 10 on the 6,700-yard course allowed Smith to maintain the cushion he needed to hold off the Cabot sophomore by a shot.

"We battled from hole No. 1 to hole No. 18," said Smith, who entered Wednesday's play with a one-stroke advantage over Gaunt. "One moment I'd go one up and then we would be all square. We were [close] the whole way."

Fayetteville claimed the team title by shooting a two-day score of 600. Runner-up Cabot managed to tie Fayetteville with a low round of 309 on Wednesday but was 13 shots back overall with a 613. All five of Fayetteville's team members -- Grant Hynes (149), Denver Davis (149), Kyle Robinson (152), Jackson Cole (154) and Fisher Vollendorf (154) -- earned all-state honors for Coach Scott Williams.

Conway's Whit Parker, who shot a 32 on the back nine Wednesday and finished with a 1-over 145, will join Smith and Gaunt in next week's Overall tournament at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock.

Smith's second-day total may have taken four more shots than Tuesday's 67, but he said he was just as pleased as he was with his first round.

"The wind was a factor," Smith said. "The pin locations were pretty much brutal. They were put on some slopes that were hard to handle. That made it really tough. ... I played well. I had a great tournament."

Gaunt was just as pleased with his efforts.

"I played great," Gaunt said. "I could have found one or two more shots, but anything under par here is good. ... I just came in with same game plan I had yesterday. I tried to keep it below the hole today, but the putts today were a little tougher. I thought it all worked out."

Smith's round included three birdies and two bogeys. His final two birdies came on two par-5 holes -- the 534-yard No. 9 and the 493-yard No. 10, a hole in which he eagled Tuesday.

Smith finished his round with eight consecutive pars.

Gaunt hit a snag on No. 3, a 344-yard par 4. Gaunt missed a short putt for bogey and fell two shots behind Smith.

Gaunt, however, rebounded with birdies at the par-3, 181-yard No. 4 and the par-4, 510-yard No. 7, to tie Smith.

Smith took the lead for good when his second shot from 290 yards came within 7 feet of the hole. Smith missed the putt for eagle, but had a tap-in for birdie.

"I wish I would have hit the eagle, but it is what it is," Smith said. "I was just glad to get the birdie."

Gaunt finished with four birdies, a double bogey and a bogey. He closed to within a stroke of Smith making birdie on No. 13, a 344-yard par 4, but he closed out his round with five consecutive pars.

Parker shot an even-par 72 Tuesday, but struggled on the first eight holes on Wednesday, including going 4 over on a three-hole stretch on holes six through eight.

Sitting in fifth place overall with nine holes to play, Parker birdied Nos. 10, 12, 13 and 18.

"I played very poorly on the front nine and I just happened to turn it around on the back nine," Parker said. "I had some putts fall."

Making birdie on No. 12, a 430-yard par 4, helped turn Parker's round around. The Conway senior placed his tee shot to within 170 yards of the hole. With the wind at his back, Parker's second shot hit the edge of the green and rolled to within 10 feet. He then drained the birdie putt.

"I was thinking a 3 under today would win it," Parker said. "But [Smith and Gaunt] played really well and I just couldn't catch them."

Sports on 10/06/2016

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