Calhoun County, AL – Edwards, Rogers lead the way as White Plains’ boys and girls lead the Calhoun County golf tournament after the first round.
By Joe Medley
PINE HILL — Isabel Rogers carried pressure well during Monday’s first round of the Calhoun County golf tournament.
Sawyer Edwards shrugged off one green’s worth of disaster.
They led the way as White Plains’ boys and girls came away with the lead headed into Tuesday’s second round at Pine Hill Country Club.
Edwards shot a 4-under-par 68, which factored in a five-putt on No. 9, and leads teammate Cam Hurst by four strokes in the boys’ individual field. The senior looks to bag his second county-medalist honor and first since 2022.
Rogers, the girls’ Alabama junior player of the year looking to repeat as county medalist, shot a 73 and leads Alexandria’s Nevaeh Foster by nine strokes.
White Plains’ boys, seeking their sixth consecutive county title, shot 290 and lead Oxford by 15 strokes. White Plains’ girls shot 246 and lead two-time defending champion Alexandria by six.
Aside from wearing the target that comes with her Alabama junior status, say nothing of her status as returning county champion, Rogers also plays with little margin for error. Her team depends on it.
“We’re really thrilled to be up, but we played great, and we’re only up six,” White Plains coach Chris Randall said. “We’re in for a dogfight tomorrow. It’s going to be windy. The girls are going to have to flight it down.
“We’re really leaning heavily on Isabel.”
White Plains’ Maylee Stewart factored into the team score with an 84, and Rachel Gattis shot an 89. Madelyn Faulkner was one stroke out of the WIldcats’ top three.
Foster leads Alexandria with an 82, followed by Jasmine Stokes at 83 and Avery Prickett at 87. Alana Prickett shot 92 and Marlee Hedgepeth, Alexandria’s top player, 93.
To make it three county titles in a row, the Valley Cubs will have to do what they did last year … rally in the second round.
There nearly wasn’t a second round this year. County administrators initially voted to make the county tournament a one-day event but reversed themselves after negative reaction.
“That’s why we wanted it two days,” Alexandria coach Craig Kiker said. “We would’ve lost last year if it had just been one day.
“It’s just like halftime, I guess.”
Rogers finished the front nine 1 over but birdied the par-4 17th to draw even for the day. She has the chance to finish her high school career as a two-time county medalist and help her team get back on top.
“I feel like I played pretty steady, and I’m ready for tomorrow,” Rogers said. “To be a senior, I’d love to win it my senior year.”
Alexandria hopes to stay on top. The Valley Cubs’ Nos. 3 and 4 players led the way Monday.
“I was hoping that we could be winning (after the first round) this year,” Foster said. “They’ve gotten better. It’s going to be harder for us to come back this year.”
On the boys’ side, Edwards looks to get back on top after trading championships with good friend and former Weaver standout Nick Ledbetter the past two years. Ledbetter plays for Talladega College this year and attended Monday’s first round.
Along the way to the lead Monday, “Saw” had to pull a “Saw.” Known for shaking off bad holes, he rebounded from a five-putt on No. 9 to begin his back nine with a birdie. He wound up where he was when he first walked onto the No. 9 green … 4 under par.
It all meant that he could laugh off the five-putt.
“I hit it about 10 foot past pin-high, and I probably had 25 foot,” he said. “I thought I made a good putt, and it ended up going 20 foot by.
“I putted up there to about a foot, wasn’t thinking and just went up there, slapped it and missed it.”
That left him eight feet out, and he putted to within inches then tapped in.
Edwards calmly walked on to the No. 10 tee and began his recovery.
“I got to 10, and I was like, ‘You’re only 1 under now, so you really have nothing to lose,’” Edwards said.
He drove to within 20 feet and finished. He went bogey-free on the back nine.
“I’m careless,” he said. “I mean, when it matters, sure, I care, but you just can’t go up there and just be frustrated on the next one.”
WIth a 290, White Plains’ boys finished eight strokes better than the number Randall had in mind.
“That’s the best we’ve played all year,” Randall said. “Oxford played great. …
“I’m just tickled to death with the way our guys came back from some tough holes. Cam Hurst birdieing 15, 16 and 17 to get him to even was huge for us. That carries a lot of momentum for him into tomorrow.”
Calhoun County golf tournament
PINE HILL COUNTRY CLUB
Monday (first round)
Girls
TEAM SCORES: White Plains 246, Alexandria 252, Piedmont 303, Oxford 332.
INDIVIDUALS
Isabel Rogers (White Plains) 73
Nevaeh Foster (Alexandria) 82
Jasmine Stokes (Alexandria) 83
Maylee Stewart (White Plains) 84
Avery Prickett (Alexandria) 87
Annabelle Page (Oxford) 87
Rachel Gattis (White Plains) 89
Madelyn Faulkner (White Plains) 90
Alana Prickett (Alexandria) 92
Ali Presley (White Plains) 92
Camryn McElroy (White Plains) 93
Mallory Hill (White Plains) 93
Marlee Hedgepeth (Alexandria) 93
Melody Kirkpatrick (Piedmont) 97
Mayce Chandler (Piedmont) 98
Reagan Hammack (Jacksonville) 99
Zoey Etter (White Plains) 102
Addyson Shelton (White Plains) 104
Gemma McGaha (White Plains) 104
Aubree Cobb (White Plains) 108
Brookeyln Goss (Piedmont) 108
Tessa Taubenheim (Weaver) 109
Natalie Yakely (Piedmont) 111
Alley Smith (Piedmont) 115
Rylie Holbrooks (Piedmont) 116
Katie Clemons (Piedmont) 118
Ashlyn Bain (Piedmont) 118
Chloey Page (Oxford) 119
Samantha Preston (Pleasant Valley) 122
Prisha Patel (Oxford) 126
Abby Allen (Pleasant Valley) 135
Alyssa Bennett (Weaver) 142
Boys
TEAM SCORES: White Plains 290, Oxford 305, Alexandria 326, Piedmont 340, Weaver 379, Jacksonville 391, Pleasant Valley 397, Ohatchee 426.
INDIVIDUALS
Sawyer Edwards (White Plains) 68
Cam Hurst (White Plains) 72
Ryder Hudgins (White Plains) 74
Brayden Cochran (Oxford) 74
Cohen Picton (Oxford) 75
Chip Mraz (Oxford) 75
Wyatt Cotney (White Plains) 76
Ethan Turner (White Plains) 76
Caden Wood (Piedmont) 77
Jamarcus Stokes (Alexandria) 79
Samuel Prichard (Alexandria) 79
Ethan McCareeth (White Plains) 80
Jay Whaley (Oxford) 81
Ty Roberts (White Plains) 81
Score Bussey (Oxford) 82
Braxton Branham (Oxford) 82
Carson Chandler (Donoho) 82
Pierson Otralek (Alexandria) 82
John Carpenter (Alexandria) 83
Noah Farmer (Piedmont) 83
Ben Campbell (White Plains) 83
Karson Faulkner (Alexandria) 85
Austin Ray (Oxford) 86
Noah Pate (Pleasant Valley) 87
Grayson Vaughn (Ohatchee) 87
Charlie Holder (White Plains) 87
Noah Holder (White Plains) 88
Jacob McCurdy (Piedmont) 89
Walker Hobbs (Jacksonville) 89
Easton Wright (White Plains) 90
Ben Miller (White Plains) 91
Bentley Chandler (Piedmont) 91
John Curtis Reeves (Weaver) 91
Caleb East (White Plains) 92
Konnor Mayfield (Weaver) 94
Hunter Hise (Weaver) 94
Luke Ray (Alexandria) 94
Bennett Clemons (Piedmont) 95
Jackson Lindsey (Oxford) 95
Caleb Gay (Oxford) 95
Haven Truitt (Oxford) 97
Sawyer Mabry (Jacksonville) 98
Bryson Cheatwood (White Plains) 98
Miller Spencer (White Plains) 99
Malik Khalaf (Jacksonville) 100
Sawyer McGinnis (Weaver) 100
Rush Patterson (Pleasant Valley) 101
Matthew Hardin (Oxford) 101
Nik Baggett (Pleasant Valley) 103
Dylan Brown (Weaver) 104
Ben Pridgen (Jacksonville) 104
Aiden Hansen (Weaver) 104
Andy McMichael (Jacksonville) 105
Issac Wiliford (White Plains) 105
Jaxon Tola (Jacksonville) 105
Mason Myers (Pleasant Valley) 106
Hayden Heard (Ohatchee) 106
Colt Davis (Weaver) 107
Jaycob Tola (Jacksonville) 113
Lyndan Williams (Ohatchee) 116
Brodie Gable (Alexandria) 116
Jake Smith (Piedmont) 116
Brannen Parker (Alexandria) 117
Zack Ray (Alexandria) 117
Reagan Tucker (Alexandria) 117
Marshall Mayo (Ohatchee) 117
Kyle Fagan (Piedmont) 120
Garner Monroe (Pleasant Valley) 122
Sam Tolbert (Piedmont) 123
Haden Bryant (Ohatchee) 123
Michael Pope (Piedmont) 126
Tanner Curvin (Piedmont) 130
William Dukes (Piedmont) 131
Branson McDaniel (Pleasant Valley) 132
Eli Upton (Pleasant Valley) 144
Jackson Wade (Jacksonville) 146
