Postseason golf is right around the corner, which means it’s time for Russellville’s boys to start rounding into form. Head coach Ryan Brewer believes his young team is capable of doing exactly that.
“We’ve played some really nice courses this season against a lot of stiff competition,” said Brewer, who guided the Golden Tigers to a Class 5A state championship in 2015 and a runner-up finish last year. “We’ve finished middle of the pack in most of our tournaments, but we’ve been up against the best competition in the state in just about every match. I really believe our best golf is coming.”
Russellville picked up a home win on Thursday in a nine-hole match at Twin Pines Country Club, shooting a 159 and finishing nine strokes ahead of Lawrence County. Eighth-grader Eric Boutwell, the team’s No. 1 player, missed the match due to a family illness, but sophomores Jaceton Murray and Brayden Bendall picked up the slack. Murray shot one-under 34 (his first under-par round of the season), and Bendall finished one over at 36. Senior Bailey Motes shot 42, followed by sophomore Lucas McNutt at 47.
“We shot a 159 without our number one [Boutwell], so I thought that was pretty good,” Brewer said. “Eric, most of the time, has been in the 70s this year [in 18-hole matches]. He’s had a couple of low-80s rounds. He shot one-over at The Ledges [in Huntsville].
“Our guys are really working hard. If you look at our scores from last year, they’ve made a big improvement.”
This season has been a transitional one for the Golden Tigers following the graduation last May of veteran golfers like Eli Hodges and Joshua Seal, but Brewer feels like the tough schedule has helped his young team gain valuable experience. Russellville has taken on some of state’s most prestigious and challenging courses this spring, including Lakewood (in Mobile), Lagoon Park (Montgomery), Greystone (Birmingham), Fighting Joe and Schoolmaster (the Shoals), and Old Colony (at the West Alabama Classic in Tuscaloosa).
“Our guys have played really well at times,” Brewer said on Friday. “They just haven’t played really well at the same time. But I know they’re capable of scoring better than we’ve done in competition. Our scores have slowly gotten better throughout the year. We should do well here at the end of the season.”
The Golden Tigers will play in the Scottsboro Invitational on Monday at Goose Pond Colony, site of this year’s North sub-state tournament. In order to qualify for sub-state, Russellville will have to finish in the top four at the sectional tournament at Gunter’s Landing. The sub-state champion and runner-up will both advance to the state tournament, which will be held this year at Opelika Grand National.
When Boutwell returns, Murray will slide back into his customary No. 2 spot, followed by Bendall at No. 3 and Motes at No. 4. Brewer said the No. 5 spot has gone back and forth between McNutt and fellow sophomore Carson Reeves, who shot 49 in Thursday’s match at Twin Pines. Other scores from Thursday were sophomore Mason Lambert at 44, senior Wyatt Fleming at 48 and freshman Caleb Willis at 49.
Brewer is optimistic about his team’s chances of finishing strong and making some noise next month in the postseason.
“Guntersville will be tough to beat at their place [in the sectional tournament],” Brewer said. “And Scottsboro is pretty good. Just looking at the scores from the north in 5A, I think that’s the team to beat. But we’ve seen Lawrence County and we’ve seen Brooks, and we’ve beaten those guys most of the times we’ve been with them. I think we should be able to finish in the top four. We’re more than capable, if we play close to the way we should.”
