Ben Sherman tackled a tough course and won easily.
Sherman, a senior from Jonesboro, collected three birdies on the back nine and completed the 6,851-yard Pleasant Valley Country Club course with an even-par 72 to win the boys Overall championship by four strokes Thursday afternoon.
"The wind was blowing a little bit and the greens were really fast," Sherman said. "It was tough out there, and I didn't think I'd win by four."
Paragould junior Simon McBride was the runner-up with a 76. Cabot senior Caleb Miller was third with a 77. Only six of Thursday's 17 competitors managed to shoot below 80 on a sunny but cool day in Little Rock.
After back-to-back bogeys to close the front nine, Sherman began his rebound with consecutive birdies on No. 10 and 11. He closed his round with a birdie on No. 18.
A year after a 5-over 77 was good enough to win the Overall, Sherman figured an even-par round Thursday would place him among the leaders.
"The birdies on 10 and 11 got me back in it," said Sherman, who shot an 8-over 80 as a sophomore in the 2017 Overall tournament. "You never know what other kids are shooting. I was just trying to go as low as I could and stay as steady as I could."
The par-5, 518-yard No. 18 proved to be a key hole for both Sherman and McBride.
"I felt like No. 18 was a birdie hole if I hit four good shots," Sherman said. "But I didn't know any other scores, so I was nervous. With all that water on the left side of the fairway, I just knew it was a big hole for me. That was definitely a memorable hole for me."
McBride's birdie on No. 18 kept him out of a playoff with Miller for second place. McBride's third shot hit the hill beyond the pin, but the ball eased back toward the hole, stopping to within 3 feet of the flag.
"When the ball landed on that hill, I thought it had stopped," McBride said. "But somehow it trickled back toward the hole."
McBride also had birdies on the par 5, 508-yard No. 4, the par 5, 523-yard No. 8 and the par 4, 407-yard No. 14.
"I was hitting it great, but I kept getting myself into bad positions off the tee," McBride said. "I wound up in the bunker several times, but when I hit the fairways I made birdies and pars."
Sherman is the first Jonesboro golfer to win the Overall since sophomore Wil Gibson won the event in 2015 with a 3-under 69.
Sports on 10/18/2019