CABOT -- Jackson Marseilles left his driver in his bag, which turned out to be the perfect strategy while playing a narrow Greystone Country Club course.
The Harrison senior turned in a score of 5-over 77 on the 6,038-yard, par 72 course Wednesday afternoon, capturing medalist honors of the 5A-West Tournament.
His score was five shots better than runner-up Andrew Freeman of Maumelle and it led the Goblins to a team title. Olivia Parker of Greenbrier was the girls medalist with an 11-over 83.
"I really just stayed out of trouble," said Marseilles, whose round included two birdies and seven bogeys. "I didn't hit a single driver all day; no penalty strokes. ... That was part of my plan coming in. It's a very tough course. It's very narrow. I was hitting 3- and 4-irons off the tee all day long."
The course was brutal for the majority of the 33 competitors. Only six of the boys were able to post scores of 89 or lower. Fourteen of the players failed to break 100.
Starting from hole No. 9, Marseilles posted his first birdie on No. 15, a 346-yard par 4. He was even par through his first eight holes, but suffered bogeys on four of his next five holes.
Marseilles regained a stroke on No. 5, a 478-yard par 5.
"All in all, it wasn't a bad round today," Marseilles said. "I'm happy the way it turned out."
Like Marseilles, Freeman also decided not to use his driver. The sophomore was 9-over on the front nine, but only 3-over on the back side.
"I didn't get off the tee that well, but my putting wasn't bad," Freeman said. "I avoided a lot of three-putts."
Freeman suffered a triple bogey on No. 1, a 294-yard par 4, hitting a duck hook off the tee. One of his two birdies came on No. 18, an uphill, 466-yard par 5.
"I hit the flag and it landed about four feet from the hole," Freeman said.
Harrison won the team title with a 359. Greenbrier was the runner-up at 369.
Harrison also won the girls title with a 332, besting Maumelle by three strokes.
Parker, a sophomore, posted two birdies during her round, with both of them coming on the back nine. She came within an inch of a hole-in-one on No. 16, an 89-yard, par 3.
"My ballmark was on the edge of the hole," Parker said.
Parker's 83 was two shots better than runner-up Olivia Faught of Alma.
"There are a few quirky holes," Parker said of Greystone, which was a 5,218-yard challenge for the girls. "If you don't play those right they can really make your score go up. You have to have a strategy on how to play some of these holes. If you don't, it can really affect your score."
The 5A girls state tournament is Wednesday at the Hot Springs Country Club. The 5A boys state tournament is Oct. 5 at Ridgepointe Country Club in Jonesboro.
Sports on 09/22/2016