Albany golfers tee off at regional tournament
By David H. Waller
The Albany Lions golf team is set to compete in the regional tournament this week at Old Brickyard Golf Club in Ferris, with tee times beginning Wednesday morning.
Head coach Tate Thompson said the team has spent recent weeks focusing on individual preparation, as many players are balancing multiple commitments. “We’ve just tried to get them to focus on the areas they need to work on—whether it’s hitting more fairways, improving putting, or getting greens in regulation,” Thompson said.
The Old Brickyard course, which has hosted regionals for the past six years, is known for its elevation changes and challenging greens. Thompson said only two of his five players have played in a competition at the course before, while the others made a practice trip ahead of the tournament. “It’s not tree-heavy like Shady Oaks, but it’s got some tricky holes and a lot of up-and-down terrain since it’s built in an old rock quarry,” he said.
Albany earned a regional berth after a strong showing at the district meet, though Thompson noted that comparing scores across districts can be misleading due to course difficulty. “Some schools play much easier courses, so those scores aren’t always a great indicator of how they’ll play under pressure,” he said. “We’ve been lucky to play at Shady Oaks, which is a tougher course, and that helps our guys get ready for something like this.”
Sixteen teams—two from eight regions—will compete at the event, with only the top two advancing to the state tournament, scheduled for May 5-6.
Tee times for the Lions on Wednesday are as follows:
• 7:50 a.m. – Ty Richards
• 8:00 a.m. – Clay Chapman
• 8:10 a.m. – Connor Smith
• 8:20 a.m. – Huffman Heatly
• 8:30 a.m. – Aiden Vickers
As the Lions take on the Old Brickyard this week, Thompson hopes their experience and preparation will give them a shot at extending their season with a trip to state.
By the time this edition of The Albany News hits stands, the Lions will have already completed their opening round at regionals. The final round of the tournament is being played today, with Albany hoping to finish strong and earn a trip to the state tournament.
