Panthers tee off with two wins
Union defeats Lumpkin, Towns to start season
By JARED PUTNAM Union Sentinel Editor

Left: Caleb Kelly sizes up the putt.

The Panthers golf team began the season with a win over Lumpkin County last week, posting a team score of 178 to edge Lumpkin's team score of 199.

"Lumpkin County is a young team and we are too," Head Coach Jim Hughes said. "I was happy with our first match. We have one senior and we played five sophomores in the first match. We shot a 178 at Birch River which is a quality golf course."

Sophomore Jake Levens led the team as the low medalist, posting a 41. He was followed by fellow sophomore Jake Farner with a 44, senior Caleb Kelly with a 46, and sophomore Josh Colwell with a 47.

"Being the first match you never know exactly how things were going to go," Coach Hughes said. "I had no birdies out of any of my crew in this first match, but that's understandable. Their greens were a little bit different and the kids said it hurt their putting a little bit, but no excuses, it was the same for everyone."

The coach explained that the team's goal this year is to get down into the low 160's and hopefully even the 150's. "Right now in March with the wind and the cold, you're going to have some fluxuating scores," Coach Hughes said. "But by April, to have a chance of going to state we have to lower our scores down into the high 150's. I'm really looking forward to this year."

Sentinel photos/Jared Putnam Above: Jake Farner tees off.

The Panthers first home match came against Towns County, as the Panthers came out on top with a team score of 170. "Again, kind of windy, but this is March golf in north Georgia," the coach said.

Colton Beattie was the low medalist with a 38. He started off the match with an eagle, came up with a birdie on hole six, and finished strong with pars on seven, eight, and nine. "That is a very good score for this time of year and we are looking for very good things out of him," Coach Hughes said.

Freshman Michael Akin, playing in his first match, finished second for the Panthers. Akin was consistent and had a birdie on hole five and finished at par on four holes. Sophomore Jake Levens, who led the team in scoring last year, finished

third with a 43. Levens had five pars. The team was rounded out by Caleb Kelly. "Last year he played usually our number four or five man and he's been consistent this year," Coach Hughes said. "We've used his score in both matches."

Coach Hughes said that competition within the region will be stiff this year, but the team still hopes to wind up at the head of the pack. "Golf is the only sport in Georgia that only takes two teams from each region," the coach said. "All the others take four, but because of the limited amount of space on a golf course, golf only has two. It makes it very tough to get there."

The team also has one Lady Panther this year, freshman Morgan Bentley. "She was sick the first match so she was unable to compete against Lumpkin, and Towns didn't have any girls, so her first meet is going to be this Thursday against Gilmer County," Coach Hughes said. "Morgan has been working hard and I think she is going to be a fine golfer."