Redhounds finish 9th

The Corbin boy’s golf team finished ninth in the 2011 Kentucky High School State Golf Tournament at the Bowling Green Country Club Wednesday. The Redhounds moved up one spot on the second day, moving from Tuesday’s 10^th place after the first day of play.

Tuesday the Redhounds shot a team total of 332. They bettered that score by nine strokes Wednesday.

Sophomore Alex Davis led the Redhounds with a two-day 159. He shot an 82 after the first 18 holes, but came back with a 77 Wednesday. He finished tied for 32^nd in the tournament field. Cody Ellis and Chandler Maguet finished tied at 163. They both had 84’s on Tuesday and a pair of 79’s Wednesday.

Conner Maguet finished at 168 while John Morgan Hamilton rounded out the Corbin scoring with a 170 to finished 70^th.

For Coach Brad Harris and seniors Chandler Maguet and John Morgan Hamilton it was the fourth straight trip to the state high school tournament.

“This was my last high school golf tournament,” Chandler Maguet said. “Dad has been taking us to tournaments since I was seven or eight years old and played on the high school team for five years. I tried to have a good last tournament, but I didn’t play like I had hoped. You can’t win them all I guess, but I did my best and had a good time doing it.”

Maguet said he has gained a lot of memories over the years. “Just playing with all the guys, Jo-Mo (John Hamilton), Eric (Jones) and Alex since the first year,” he said. “I’ve been playing golf with my brother since I began. He started at the same time.”

Maguet and Hamilton have a distinction that can only be matched in the history of Corbin High School golf. They made it to the state tournament all four years of high school.

“It feels good that all the work and practice paid off. We practiced a lot. We start practicing the first day it’s warm in the spring and all through the summer until the state tournament,” Maguet said. “It feels good to know that all the hard work has paid off.”

Harris has now led the Redhounds to four consecutive trips to the state tournament.

“We played great all season,” Harris said. “It is our goal each year to win the regional title and get here. That’s way we play in so many tournaments and work on our game in practices.”

“I felt like our team came prepared to play well here, we didn’t play bad, ninth in the state is a great accomplishment, but our goal is to win the state,” Harris said of his third-ranked Redhounds.

“I am happy with the results, happy with the way the guys played,” he added. “They played as hard he they could. We are trying so hard and putting a lot of pressure on ourselves. Sometimes that does hold you back a little.”

“We played a little better today,” Harris said. “We played a little more relaxed. We gave it our best shot. This is a tough course. The greens are firm and fast and it played great. We liked the course, it sets up well for us, I just feel like we are not used to this course and the true Bermuda ruff that hard to play out of and different from anything in southeastern Kentucky at all. Typically, our greens are not this firm.”
“We played this course better on the second day,” Harris said. “If we played this type of course more which there are not a whole lot to play on. But, that’s what we play on and everybody else too.”

“We have three guys returning that played here this year,” Harris added. “Cody Ellis will be our only senior. We have a couple of guys ready to step in. Luke Cooney, who played this year, but only his second year playing.”

The Redhounds will also have Russ Tolliver and some younger guys ready to work for the spots left by Maguet and Hamilton. “We will be tough to beat next year too,” Harris said. “We have a solid class of guys coming back.”