Golf competes in District, 1 advances to Regionals

By Melissa McCaghren

Slatonite GM

The Slaton golf teams competed in their District meets March 29 in Childress, and April 5 in Lubbock.

JD Hogan qualified to regionals as an individual.

Head Coach Lousia Gonzales said while the teams improved their scores significantly, neither team qualified for the next round.

She said District this year was just tough for Slaton, and admittedly all teams, to compete in. “The weather of course was not in our favor once again (in Childress) – with the crazy wind and cold temperature. Our golfers were resilient as always and made the best of it and overcame the adversity,” she said. “Round 2 (Monday) was held at Shadow Hills Golf Course in Lubbock – with the sun finally showing its face but that darn wind followed it as well.

“We were thankful for some warmth but it was still cool when we got started. Most of our teams improved in their scores. We were able to take advantage of the school holiday on Friday and get a practice round in before Monday.”

While the school only advanced one player to Regionals, Gonzales said she’s looking forward to next year, especially as there are few seniors on this year’s teams.

“After losing an entire girls team last year to graduation, this year, I have no seniors. I’m excited to have Kat, Ella, Mollie and Olivia all returning next year and hope to add a few more Tigerettes,” she said.

“On the boys side, unfortunately, I have two seniors who will graduate – Bryson Boyd and JD Hogan. Both of these guys have been exceptional leaders for our program. I don’t know what I’m going to do without them.

“Bryson has so much fun on the course, even when his shots don’t always go his way, he still has a great attitude and fun personality.

“I couldn’t be prouder of JD and his will to win and move on. Talk about tackling adversity – this kid has overcome so much this season. We are already working on putting in some work to get him ready for Regionals. In his words, ‘I want to compete at Regionals, not just show up.’ It is exciting to hear his determination and willingness to fight at the next level.”

Still, 2020 will be seen in Gonzales’ eyes as one to remember, and had a much more positive end than last season when COVID canceled the season before it could be completed.

“We had so much fun this season. We lost our first tournament after the great ice storm that took over the South Plains,” she said. “We played in some crazy wind and freezing temps. But in the end, we created a bond and shared some amazing memories.

“We were blessed to have completed a full season of golf this year.”

Hogan will compete in the Regional meet in two weeks at Shady Oaks Country Club in Baird, located just outside of Abilene.