Girls golf wins Miracle Strip tourney again
BY JASON THOMPSON Gulf Breeze News jason@gulfbreezenews.com

The Gulf Breeze girls golf team avenged its only loss of the season with a win at the Miracle Strip Golf in Fort Walton. It's marked the second straight year the Lady Dolphins have won that event.

Nine teams competed in the nine team, 18-hole meet, with Gulf Breeze edging Niceville by four shots. Niceville handed GBHS its only loss of the season the week before.

Gulf Breeze shot a 337, followed by Niceville (341), Catholic (356), Fort Walton (370), Pace (371), Choctaw (372), Navarre (453), Escambia (482) and Pine Forest (570).

Kristen Dorsey led Gulf Breeze with a 78. Ashleigh Ryals shot a 79, followed by Sarah Hicks (88), Courtney Trevino and Angela Whidby (92).

Gulf Breeze entered their first 18 hole match of the season with a 29-stroke win over Catholic Sept. 18 at Tiger Point East.

Hicks birdied the fourth, seventh and eighth holes on her way to a two-under 34. Dorsey eagled the eighth hole and birdied the seventh to shoot an even par 36, while Ryals birdied the seventh and ninth hole on her way to a 40.

Trevino parred four holes and shot a 43, while Whidby parred one for a 50.

Boys recap

The boys team faced local powerhouses, Catholic, Milton, and Pace, in a nine-hole match at the Moors on Sept. 18.

The Dolphins finished with a 168, only two strokes behind Milton's 166. Pace won the match with a 148, while Catholic was second with 154.

Senior T.J. Jordan, who played in the number-one spot, finished with a 35. Jordan's score was the second lowest of the meet.

Jordan parred every hole except for seven, a 497-yard par five, which he eagled. When asked how he felt about his score, the usually laconic Jordan responded, "I'm happy. Very happy."

Senior Jordan Mitchell and freshman Evan Smith both shot 44. Mitchell started out with a nine on the first hole, but he recovered well and parred holes four, five, six and seven to finish behind Jordan. Smith also had four pars: two, four, six and eight.

Junior John Foryt and freshman Tyler Wright rounded out the team s total with a score of 45 each. Foryt finished the round with pars on holes eight and nine. His finish on eight was a dramatic one with a 20-foot downhill putt. Wright, too, had a dramatic shot on hole three where he chipped in for a birdie. Wright also made par on holes five and seven.

Miracle Strip tournament

Senior Cory Lawson joined Jordan, Mitchell, Foryt, and Wright for the team s appearance at the Miracle Strip High School Classic at the Fort Walton Beach Golf Club Thursday. The boys teams played from the blue tees on the Pines Course, a total yardage of 6,861.

With a final score of 331, the Dolphins placed ninth out of 22 teams, finishing its best round at the tournament in over three years.

Mosley High School won the tournament with a low score of 297. Choctaw placed second with 304, and Pace was third with 308. The tournament s low medalist was Sean Einhaus of Rocky Bayou, who shot 68.

Starting on the back nine in reverse ranking order, Wright, playing in the number-five spot, teed off first at 7:30 a.m. for the Dolphins on hole 10. Wright parred 12, 13 (a par five), 14 and 16 on his first nine for a 42, and holes two, three, and four for a 44 on the second nine.

Foryt, as he did at the Moors match, again tied Wright with a final score of 86. Foryt had an exciting finish with a birdie on two.

Mitchell finished with an 82. Shooting a 38 on the first nine, Mitchell hit a personal-best 330- yard drive on 13, a 525-yard par 5. Mitchell would birdie the hole.

Lawson also birdied on hole seven, a par four, and made par on seven other holes. Lawson finished with a 91.

Again playing in the numberone spot for the Dolphins, Jordan finished with a 77, shooting 38 on the first nine and 39 on the second. Jordan when he birdied his third hole (#12). Jordan parred seven other holes to lead the Dolphins to their historic finish at the Miracle Strip tournament.

Boys golf coach Edward Pate contributed to this report.