JOURNAL STAFF
Byrd High School golfers were pacesetters on Day One of the LHSAA Division I state tournaments in the Lafayette area on Monday.
In Division I girls’ competition at The Wetlands Golf Club in Lafayette, defending individual champion Sydney Moss of Byrd shot a 2-over 74 to grab the lead going into today’s final round.
Byrd’s James Holtsclaw shot a 5-under 67 to grab the individual lead and put the Yellow Jackets on top of the boys team standings at Cane Row Golf Club in New Iberia.
With three players in the top 10 individuals, Byrd (291) holds a one-shot advantage over Catholic-Baton Rouge (292) heading into the final round. Benton shot a team-total 312 to put the Tigers in fifth place.
Also in the individual top 10 are Byrd’s Duke Bowen, who shot even-par (tied for fourth), and Grant Reagan, whose 2-over 74 put him in a tie for ninth. Byrd’s Peyton Johnson and Brown Snyder both shot 6-over 78.
Benton’s Noah McWilliams shot a 3-under 69 to put him in second place in the individual competition. Other Benton golfers include Miller Davis (8-over 80), Cade Robinson (9-over 81), Cason Toms (10-over 82), and Kade Bryant (12-over 84).
Eli Hill of Airline starts today in a tie for fourth after shooting even-par 72 on Monday.
Holtsclaw and McWilliams were two of just three players to shoot under-par in the first round.
Holtsclaw had five birdies in a six-hole stretch to finish the front nine at 5-under on his way to a 67 while McWilliams posted six birdies on his way to a first-round 69. Last year, McWilliams lost to St. Paul’s Griffith Dorr on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff for the individual title.
In the Division I girls tournament, Benton’s Abigail McWilliams shot an 11-over 83 that put her in seventh place.
Led by Moss, the Yellow Jackets shot 187 to finish Day One in fifth place while Benton’s team score of 201 put the Lady Tigers in seventh place. Byrd’s Riley Walton shot 113 while Benton’s MacKinley Loyd shot 118 and Zoey Anzaluda shot 133.
Moss had a 2-under front nine that included two birdies and seven pars. She birdied the par-4 17th to finish one shot ahead of St. Scholastica’s Sarah Meral, last year’s runner-up.
DIVISION II: At The Farm d’Allie in Carencro, Caddo Magnet’s Xan Walker shot a 6-over 78 to finish in a tie for sixth place after the first day of individual competition in the boys’ tournament. The hometown St. Thomas More team put all five of its players in the top 18 individually and shot a team-total 315 to grab the lead.
DIVISION III: With three players in the top 20 in individual competition, Loyola finished the first round at Cane Row Golf Club in New Iberia in second place with a team score of 305. Holden Webb shot a 1-over 73 to put him in ninth place, followed by Connor Cassano and Charlie Bell (tied for 15th with 4-over 76.)
Other Loyola players include Ross Alford, who shot 12-over 80 and Charles Valiulis, who shot 15-over 87. Ascension Episcopal leads the team competition with a score of 288.
DIVISION IV – Calvary’s Kannon Savage shot a 13-over 85 to put him in a tie for 11th place after the first round at The Farm d’Allie in Carencro. Also representing the Cavs are Bryce Carpenter (95), Ezra Smith (103) and Hunter Harris (107).
Photo by MEREDITH DUNCAN