— Rick Burres/Tribune-Courier

Home Sweet Home: Marshals win second straight region championship

Newcomb wins individual
championship after firing
7-under-par 65

By Justin McGill
Tribune-Courier Managing Editor
jmcgill@tribunecourier.com

BENTON – Marshall County’s boys golf team spent last Tuesday disproving the adage, “familiarity breeds contempt.” The Marshals, playing at Benton Country Club, used home-course advantage to cruise to their second consecutive 1st Region Championship.

MCHS shot a team score of 291, easily outpacing second-place Heath (325), which will join the Marshals as a team qualifier for next week’s state championship at Bowling Green Country Club.

The Marshals were led by senior Patrick Newcomb, who shot a 7-under 65 to win the individual regional crown. Joining Newcomb in Marshall County’s top four were defending region and state champ Travis Thompson (75), Travis Ross (75) and Peter Meeks (76). Cameron Brown filled the Marshals’ No. 5 slot and shot 84.

Newcomb’s closest competition was Heath’s Ericc Straub, who was 5-under-par before a crippling triple bogey on No. 16. Straub’s drive landed on the right side of the fairway, leaving him with no clear shot to the green around the dogleg right. He attempted to clear the trees in that turn, but his shot landed out of bounds.

That mistake was more than Newcomb needed to seal the win. Newcomb held the top position for most of his round and distanced himself from the pack with a chip-in eagle in No. 11. He ended the day in style, landing his approach on No. 18 within three feet of the cup and sinking the birdie putt.

The top two teams and three individuals not on a qualifying team advance to the state championship. Joining MCHS and Heath will be Graves County’s Eli Towery (76), St. Mary’s Sammy Thompson (77) and Calloway County’s Hunter Garrison (79).

“We just wanted to play our game and control the course because it’s really tight out here,” Newcomb said. “You can hit a ball and think it’s in good shape, but it can get away from you.”

Newcomb said he suggested his playing style to his teammates before last Tuesday.

“I called all the guys [last Monday] night to make sure they were ready, and I told them to keep it in play and they’d score,” Newcomb said.

“Patrick is good enough that he can control a lot of the things he does with the ball,” MCHS head coach Brent Lovett said. “In situations like this, keeping it lower and out of the wind really helped. I’m sure he’s played here in the wind before, and that probably played a big part.”

Newcomb said he thinks most players feel more pressure during the region tournament than any other event, which means the Marshals should approach the state championship with a relaxed attitude.

“Repeating at state was our goal the day after we won it,” Newcomb said. “We’ve always thought we were a state contender.”

Before a chance at a repeat, however, Brent Lovett said the Marshals had to be ready for a tough group of 1st Region competitors.

“We had to make sure we got this one first,” Lovett said. “There are some good teams out there. We had a lot coming back, but when you tee a golf ball up, it’s 0-0 and anything can happen. I feel fortunate that we’ve got a chance to repeat what we did last year.”

Lovett said being able to host the event at Benton Country Club, a course very familiar to the Marshals, put them in a position to win.

“It’s a real advantage for those kids to be members here,” Lovett said. “A lot of these guys have been playing here for the last seven or eight years compared to some of the other schools that play here four or five times. That shows the advantage of hosting it here.”

Still, winning by 34 strokes and posting most of the lowest individual scores of the day wasn’t enough for the Marshals.

“They think they should have done better,” Lovett said. “With the scores the way they were today, I think they did a fine job.”

The Marshals have competed in a number of high-level tournaments this season, which Lovett said has prepared them for a potential second-consecutive state title.

“We talked earlier in the year about going to these tournaments and playing against some of the best teams in the state to see how we stack up,” Lovett said. “We’ve done well so far, but it comes down to two days of golf. Hopefully, we’ll be in the mix on Saturday if we’re fortunate enough to be there. We’ve played in pressure situations before, and I think that will help us through that.”