By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Southern Alamance golfer Jvan Hamby said he likes how he has risen to the occasion during the season.
It resulted in a Central 3-A Conference individual championship.
Hamby shot even-par 71 to win the conference tournament Monday at Stoney Creek Golf Club.
“There’s a lot of really good golfers out here,” Hamby said. “You’ve got to play good to beat them.”
Southern ruled the conference from a team perspective with a season-long total of 1,420, well ahead of runner-up Western Alamance (1,525) and third-place Williams (1,609). The three teams qualified for regionals.
Hamby, a junior who also plays for Southern’s football team, had a season-long mark of 305, which was six shots better than runner-up Tim Klein of Williams.
Western’s Tyler Clayon was third at 314, followed by Southern teammates Lacy Carrell (315) and Landon Linch (317).
Hamby shot 41 and 37 in a pair of nine-hole make-up matches Tuesday at Occoneechee Golf Club in Hillsborough to end the regular season. Klein and Ryan Capps of host Cedar Ridge had the top scores with 38 on the first nine, while Klein’s 32 and Hamby’s 37 were the best scores for the second nine.
In the 18-hole competition at the beginning of the week, Hamby notched birdies on Nos. 9, 11, and 16 on the way to his best score on the course.
“I hit 16 greens and made a couple putts,” he said. “It was a lot of pressure coming down the stretch.”
Hamby finished with a five-stroke edge on runner-up Hamilton Plunkett of Western Alamance, with Linch, Clayton, and Eastern Alamance’s Max Brehler sharing third place with 78s.
Southern coach Michael Park said Hamby didn’t make the team cut for a spot in last year’s regional, but he has emerged as the Patriots’ most consistent golfer this season.
“He went from our No. 6 to winning the conference,” Park said. “It’s a huge jump.”
Southern was 18 shots better than runner-up Western in the 18-hole tournament. The Patriots, whose only seniors are Carroll and JoJo Gilbert, repeated as league champions.
“I’ve got some great ones playing this year and had the same ones last year,” Park said.
After a couple of narrow defeats in nine-hole duals with Greensboro Grimsley and Burlington Christian Academy, the Patriots found their form. The program has reached unprecedented success in back-to-back years.
“I’ll ride this as long as I can ride it,” Park said.
In earlier conference competition, other nine-hole medalists during the season included Linch, Plunkett, Clayton, and Roxboro Person’s Grant Phillips, while Brehler and Klein shared a top spot at one event.
The Class 3-A Mideast Regional will be held Monday at Keith Hills Golf Club in Buies Creek.
