AHS goes for fifth straight AHSAA golf championship

By Mike Szvetitz
Sports Editor, Opelika-Auburn News
Published: May 11, 2008

As the four-time defending Class 6A champion, the Auburn High boys golf team doesn’t feel any pressure to keep the streak alive.

“We graduated four guys last year, but we’ve got some people — some good people — back,” AHS head coach Duke Smith said. “From the beginning of the year, I felt like we had a chance to come back to the state tournament. I knew if we’d play well, we’d have a chance (to repeat).”

And that chance starts today when the 36-hole state tournament tees off at The Shoals — a Robert Trent Jones course in Muscle Shoals. Auburn, which tees off at 7 this morning, will be playing the Fighting Joe course.

The Auburn girls team will also be participating in the state tournament, playing the Schoolmaster course at The Shoals.

The boys team, which won the South Sub-State tournament last week at the Auburn University Club, will be led by Scott Strohmeyer, Johnny Mann, Alex Barnes, Gabriel Wang and Carl Langlois. Playing for the girls, which also won the South Sub-State title, will be Jennifer Commander, Jessica Rouillard, Coleman Humphrey and Kendall Trupp.

The state tournament will have a different look to it this year, with six teams participating instead of eight. Meaning that every team will have to play their A-game both days.

“When you cut down on the number of teams, you increase the quality of play,” Smith said.

The Auburn boys will be in some fierce competition with Spain Park, which won AHS’ Joe King Invitational earlier this season, and Mountain Brook, which upset Spain Park in the North Sub-State event last week to win by a stroke. Also particpating will be Fairhope, Huntsville and McGill-Toolen.

The Tigers have never played at this particular RTJ course, but that hasn’t deterred their preperation.

“A lot of the Trent Jones courses, as far as the greens, are very similar,” Smith said. “We’ve been out at (Opelika Grand National’s) par 3 course working on our game.

“It’ll be a situation of having to hit the greens and make putts. From what I understand, there’s a good bit of water on the course. We need to stay away from trouble and play smart golf and see what happens.”

Auburn left Saturday morning to reach Muscle Shoals in time for a few practice rounds.

“We’re going up there to give it our best shot,” Smith said. “The kids feel good.

“It’s a situation if we play good, we’ve got a chance. I try to tell the kids, ‘you can’t win the tournament the first day, but you can lose it.’

“Hopefully, the first day, we can be up there at the front like last year when we were 17 shots ahead after the first day.”

The Tigers will play with McGill-Toolen and Fairhope in their first round today.

The Auburn girls will play with Mountain Brook and Austin, with its first group teeing off at 11:30 a.m.

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