By Mike London
Salisbury Post
LEXINGTON – East Rowan golfers Brady McIntyre and Cameron Honeycutt finished strong in the 5A State Championships at Sapona.
McIntyre, a senior, was quite literally finishing his stellar career as a Mustang on the slopes of Sapona on Tuesday. He can look back on his high school accomplishments with pride for years to come. For Honeycutt, a freshman, his best days are still ahead of him. He’s just getting started.
Honeycutt served notice to everyone in attendance that he plans to return to state events as a serious contender for the next three years. He eagled his closing hole (No. 18) on Monday. He also eagled his final hole on Tuesday as he wrapped up his round on No. 9. He has developed a flair for the dramatic at a young age.
McIntyre and Honeycutt shot 2-under 69s in Monday’s first round and were tied for second, one shot off the pace on the leaderboard.
That leader was Oak Grove senior Lincoln Newton, who made sure no one caught him on Tuesday. Newton went out and shot the best score for the second day in a row. Newton followed his 68 with a 67. He finished at 7-under, won the tournament by five shots and also paced the Oak Grove Grizzlies to the team championship.
Honeycutt shot 1-over 72 on Tuesday and tied with Seaforth senior Ty Willoughby for second place at 1-under for the tournament. McIntyre shot 73 in Round 2 and wound up in three-way tie for fourth at even par for the tournament, along with Oak Grove senior Aidan Wilson and South Point sophomore Harley Green.
“Both our guys played very solid,” East coach Shane Benfield said. “Sapona is a tough track and you’ve got to be patient and you’ve got to practice course management. You also have to keep your emotions in check. Having two guys finish in the top five at the state level is just fantastic. They represented their team and their school very well.”
McIntyre’s scorecard for the second round revealed 12 pars, four bogeys and two birdies. His birdies came on the par-5 18th and the par-3 No. 7 hole.
“Brady Mac closed out his high school career with loads of class, shooting even par in such a big event,” Benfield said.
Starting on No. 10 in a threesome that also included McIntyre, Honeycutt bogeyed 11 and 17. After the turn, bogeys on 4 and 5 pushed him down to 4-over for the round, but his scorecard on the last three holes looked like he was playing miniature golf – 2-4-2. He birdied the par-3 7th. After parring No. 8, he had another “2” on the 9th hole, a short par 4 measuring 366 yards.
“Cam holed out for the eagle on 9 from about 50 yards,” Benfield said. “The ball bounced one time and then it disappeared. That was a great way to end his amazing freshman season.”
That eagle moved Honeycutt one shot ahead of McIntyre for the tournament. They were neck-and-neck all the way.
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SOUTHERN PINES – Salisbury’s Sam Goodman, a regional medalist, experienced some struggles with his putter on Monday on his way to an 81.
The long-hitting Hornet bounced back with a 76 on Tuesday in the 4A State Championships being staged at Longleaf. He finished tied for 25th on the leaderboard at 157.
“Sam was much better in Round 2,” Salisbury coach Josh Brincefield. “And he deserved it. He’s been a joy to coach and he’s a hard worker. I’m going to miss our senior class.”
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South Rowan junior Dane Wheeler shot 74 at Longleaf on Monday and was tied for 12th. He didn’t fare as well on Tuesday, shooting 88. He finished at 162, tied for 31st.
“Dane could have easily packed it in, but that’s not his nature,” South coach Jarrod Smith said. “He kept fighting, and that was important. He learned a lot in this tournament, and I’m confident he’ll be back.”
