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Sunday, May 25, 2025 at 7:08 PM

Two golfers to head to state

Two golfers to head to state
Bearcat Hank David beams with pride after winning a silver medal and qualifying for the state golf tournament flanked by Athletic Director Chad Worrell, head golf coach Rick Baker and assistant coach Jeff Christie at Oak Hurst Golf Course in Bullard on April 17. Photo Courtesy of Pilot Point ISD

Golf season in the Ranch Cities is on the final approach, with the Pilot Point Bearcats, Tioga Bulldogs and Aubrey Chaparrals sending representatives to their respective regional tournaments April 14-17.

Pilot Point

The Bearcats had two competitors, juniors Hank David and Adisyn Johnson, at the UIL 3A-Region II Tournament hosted at Oak Hurst Golf Course in Bullard, with David securing his spot at the state tournament.

David finished second out of 16 individual medalists, finishing Day 1 with a score of 68 and Day 2 with a 76 for a two-day total of 144.

“That was my personal best on Day 1,” David said. '… I was in a really good headspace. I didn’t overthink anything and just tried to focus on the next shot and not the last one.”

David added that he’s looking forward to the level of competition he will see at the state tournament.

“It's going to be kids I've never played before, so I'm just excited to see what the competition is going to look like,” he said. “… Obviously, I want to win. It’s state, but that’s a pretty [good] goal, so I’m going to try and take it one round at a time and just be happy I got there.”

Johnson finished seventh out of 16 individual qualifiers, finishing Day 1 with a score of 102 and Day 2 with a 113 for a two-day total of 215.

Pilot Point head golf coach Rick Baker spoke highly of both golfers and said he learned a lot about coaching in his first season working in the sport.

“You don’t coach these guys the same way you coach any other sport, [but] it was great to learn the role,” he said. '... Ninetynine percent of it was them, and that’s why I’m so proud. They managed to get here, and they did it on their own terms, practicing themselves and working on things they knew how to work on and listening to the few things that I or Jeff Christie had to say, and just trusting in the fact that they're developing and that their play is going to get better, and it did.”

David will compete in the UIL 3A State Golf Championship on May 5 and 6 at Jimmy Clay Golf Course in Austin.

Tioga

The Bulldogs sent two young golfers, junior Zander Zafar and freshman Emerson Moore, to the UIL 2A-Region II Tournament hosted at the Old Brickyard Golf Course in Ferris, Zafar punching his ticket to the state tournament.

Zafar was a regular on the dance floor, finishing the two-day event with a total score of 143, tying for first place with two other competitors.

The tie forced a playoff to decide the overall winner, and Zafar walked away with a silver medal.

“The kid that finished first overall was from Lindsay and just hit a really amazing cut from far away to birdie one of the playoff holes, but it was really fun to be a part of, and Zander performed excellently under pressure,” Tioga head golf coach Ragan Smith said.

Moore finished 18th out of a field of 90, with a twoday total of 202.

“When she started this year, she hadn’t played golf competitively, so to make it to the regional tournament in your first year ever playing golf, I think that is something that needs to be praised,” Smith said. “… I was really proud of her. Golf is a hard sport, and she just took everything in stride and played well.”

Zafar will compete at the UIL 2A State Golf Championship on May 5 and 6 at Lions Municipal Golf Course in Austin.

Aubrey

The Chaparrals’ golf program season came to an end with their lone representative, sophomore Jackson Polen, competing at the UIL 4A-Region II Golf Tournament held at the Van Zandt Country Club in Canton.

Polen finished Day 1 with a score of 103 but bounced back on Day 2, cutting 10 strokes to shoot a 93 for a two-day total of 196.

“The overall experience was really good,” Polen said. “I had a lot of fun, and I learned a lot about what it takes to advance. There's a lot of good competition there, and I want to compete with those guys again next year. I experienced it this year, so I hope I'll be able to do better next year.”

Aubrey head golf coach Tyler Walterscheid praised Polen's performance this season.

“All in all, it was a great experience for him,” he said. “The biggest thing is now he knows what to expect to get to the next stage. … He’s a good kid, and he wants to be good at the sport. Working with a kid like him who’s coachable and then also works hard outside of school is huge.”

Tioga golfer Zander Zafar stands at the Old Brickyard Golf Course in Ferris where he won a silver medal at the UIL 2A-Region II Golf Tournament and secured his spot at the state tournament. Photo Courtesy of Tioga ISD

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