Luke Long would like to make amends for missing last year’s High School Overall Championship.
Long, a senior from Fayetteville, won the Overall title in 2013 as a sophomore but failed to qualify for the 2014 event. He spent last year’s event on the sidelines watching former teammate Matthew Cole earn a one-stroke victory.
High School Overall Golf Championships
WHEN Today
WHERE Pleasant Valley Country Club, Little Rock
WHO The top three finishers from each of the seven state tournaments
BOYS PAIRINGS
8 A.M. Mason Treece, Greers Ferry WS; Will Jackson, Conway Christian; Hank Crain, Prescott
8:10 A.M. Hunter Hickingbotham, Baptist Prep; Jackson Marseilles, Harrison; Kyle Covington, Jonesboro
8:20 A.M. Jacob Winkel, Rogers Heritage; Jacob Webb, Concord; Trey De-Priest, Buffalo Island Central
8:30 A.M. Cole Lamb, Melbourne; Logan Solomon, Waldron; Caleb Lloyd, Hot Springs Lakeside
8:40 A.M. Ethan Eppinette, Texarkana; Mitchell Ford, Little Rock Catholic; Leyton Clark, Armorel
8:50 A.M. Kade Scott, Rector; Paxton Templeton, Mayflower; Hayden Lassiter, Warren
9 A.M. Caleb Kubacak, Maumelle; Wil Gibson, Jonesboro; Luke Long, Fayetteville
GIRLS PARTICIPANTS
Hannah Bakalekos, North Little Rock Graycee Barham, Spring Hill Darby Beason, Booneville Sophia Canale, Bauxite Christi Chambless, Spring Hill Katelyn Dunstan, Baptist Prep Olivia Faught, Alma Sydnie Gamble, Greenwood Alyssa Hagewood, Abundant Life Mikayla Kish, Izard County Marianna Larson, Shirley Victoria Lawson, West Fork Brooke Matthews, Rogers Molly Montez, Eureka Springs Mary Claire Meredith, Jonesboro Alexis Montgomery, Maumelle Elizabeth Moon, Wynne Casey Ott, Conway Audrey Pulliam, Pulaski Academy Krisanna Reynolds, Smackover Allie Weiner, Central Arkansas Christian NOTE Girls tee times and pairings were not available
“Luke is a kid who’s kind of hard to read, but as time went by this season it was evident he was spending all this year preparing for this tournament,” Fayetteville Coach Scott Williams said. “He told me before the year started that the biggest thing he wanted to do was lead us to a state championship, but that on a personal note his goal was to get back to the Overall.”
Long and 20 other high school boys will play for the Overall title today at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock. The 18-hole championship event, which is sponsored by the Arkansas State Golf Association, will start at 8 a.m. Long will play in the final three-man group along with Class 6A medalist Wil Gibson of Jonesboro and Class 5A medalist Caleb Kubacak of Maumelle. That group is scheduled to tee off at 9 a.m.
With its abundance of trees and tight fairways, Pleasant Valley has always been a tough course for high school qualifiers to navigate. Since 2009, only two Overall competitors — Long in 2013 and Luke Carpenter of Arkansas Baptist in 2009 — have turned in rounds of under par. Cole won the 2014 tournament with a 1-over 73.
Five players from last year’s field are returning to this year’s event, including Gibson, a sophomore who won the 6A state tournament in Searcy last week by 13 strokes.
Gibson said there are plenty of things to like about Pleasant Valley.
“The greens are really fast, and I like fast greens,” said Gibson, who shot a 78 at last year’s Overall. “The greens were fast [at Searcy Country Club] and I putted it really well, so hopefully I’ll putt it well at Pleasant Valley, too. I know I should work on my irons and my chipping a little bit.”
Williams said Long welcomes the challenge that Pleasant Valley presents.
“One thing about Luke is that he is a long-ball hitter,” Williams said. “That course will test you with its length.”
The four other participants who are making a return appearance to the Overall are Rector senior Kade Scott (82), Armorel senior Leyton Clark (85), Baptist Prep junior Hunter Hickingbotham (78) and Conway Christian junior Will Jackson (95). Scott was the Class 2A medalist and Clark was the Class 1A medalist.
Long is the only participant in this year’s event who has won an Overall title.
“This is a very rare circumstance,” Williams said. “Most of the guys who win this tournament are seniors. I told him he has a chance to put his stamp as one of Arkansas’ best high school golfers.”
GIRLS OVERALL
The top four golfers from last season’s High School Overall Championship are back.
Brooke Matthews, a junior from Rogers and a University of Arkansas commitment, will try to defend her title at today’s tournament, which is sponsored by the Arkansas Women’s Golf Association.
Matthews won the Class 7A state tournament at Conway Country Club two weeks ago, edging Conway’s Casey Ott with a birdie on the final hole.
Despite having no birdies in her 4-over 76 last season, Matthews won the Overall by four strokes. Central Arkansas Christian’s Allie Weiner finished second with an 80.
Elizabeth Moon (81) of Wynne and Mary Claire Meredith (81) of Jonesboro also return to the Overall. There are 11 returning players from last year’s event.