LAURINBURG — Golf season started well for Nick Thompson and Mason High.
The seniors both carded a 78 on Monday to help lead Scotland’s boys golf team to a third-place finish out of seven teams at a Sandhills Athletic Conference match in Raeford. It was a career-best day for both golfers.
“I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous,” Thompson said before a practice round on Wednesday. “The first couple holes were kind of rocky. I had to catch my feet somewhere. I slowed down a little bit, started hitting a little better, and I started getting on a roll with a few birdies and a couple eagles.”
With a team score of 339, the Fighting Scots finished behind Purnell Swett (328) and Pinecrest (287). Pinecrest finished in fifth place at the 4A state championships last year.
The Scots finished fourth in the conference and took eighth place at regionals last year under the guidance of coach Keith Wood. The Scots are looking to build on that success with the help of coach Matt Justin, who took the reigns of the program again after previously coaching the team in 2017.
The Scots have 14 players on their roster. Not all of those players can travel with the team, but Justin said there are several young players who have a chance to score for the Scots as the season continues.
Thompson and High are a couple of the team’s experienced leaders. The team’s group of experienced returners also includes juniors Andrew Hartwell and Ian Smith, who opened the season by shooting an 87 and 96, respectively.
As a junior, High was one stroke shy of qualifying for the state tournament. The senior likes having a high turnout for golf this year.
“There’s definitely more competition, and more players get a chance to play,” High said. “I think it’ll be good.”
The Scots will compete again on Tuesday at Gates Four Country Club in Fayetteville. That match, which is hosted by Jack Britt, is one of five regular-season events remaining on Scotland’s schedule.
“I think we’ve got a really good team, and we can compete more than we did in past years,” Thompson said. “We can compete for third, second and first. We’ve got a better chance, I’d say.”
