Yorktown junior golfer Hunter Slade sure wishes he could have day one of the Northern Region golf tournament back.
After winning the Patriot District title two weeks ago with a two-day score of 148, Slade shot an 82 on day one of the Northern region tournament, held at Fairfax National Golf Club, putting him in a deep hole in terms of making it to the individual state tournament. Slade rebounded to shoot a 73 on day two, but finished second in a three-player playoff to determine who would secure the last state tournament spot.
“If he would have played better the first day, it wouldn’t have been an issue,” Yorktown coach Chris Williams said of Slade. “It was a goal of his the whole season (to make the state tournament). The biggest thing for him is that he has another year.”
As a team, Yorktown finished fifth with a score of 655 in the eight-team competition. Leading the way for the Patriots was freshman Thomas Strandemo, who finished in a tie for seventh place with a score of 79-74-153, therefore securing a bid in the Class AAA state tournament at Independence Golf Club in Midlothian. Strandemo finished with a two-day total of 153.
Also performing well for Yorktown was senior Rory Devine, who carded a two-day score of 189. Last year, Yorktown finished in last place in the northern region team competition.
Although Washington-Lee and Wakefield did not make the team format of the tournament, both schools were represented in the individual competition. The Generals’ Robbie Burgess shot a 96-86-182, while teammate Andrew Hansen shot a 98-87-187. Wakefield’s Ward Bonneford finished with a two-day total of 197.