PJC golf coach David Johnson stands behind members of the PJC golf team that won first place in Monday’s PJC Fall Invitational at the ,143-yard Paris Golf and Country Club. From left are Ben Welker, Justin Ary, Trumann Nugent, Zac Oliver, and Evan Feltham. (PJC Photo)
Fresh off a first-place finish in its first competition of the fall, the Paris Junior College golf team is preparing for its second tournament – Oct. 1-2 in the Southeast Oklahoma Invitational at the Chickasaw Pointe Golf Club adjacent to Lake Texoma State Park 15 miles west of Durant, Okla.
PJC golfer Zac Oliver is shown with coach David Johnson after winning medalist honors in Monday’s tournament.
Zac Oliver, a sophomore from Checotah, Okla., followed an opening round 71 with a 4-under-par 66 over the last 18 holes to finish as the low individual in Monday’s PJC Fall Invitational Tournament at the 6,143-yard Paris Golf and Country Club.
Under a scoring system that counted the four best scores from a five-member team, the PJC gold squad shot rounds of 285 and 278 on Monday to finish two strokes ahead of the University of Texas-Tyler junior varsity.
Over the first 18 holes of Monday’s tournament, Trumann Nugent (Texarkana) and Evan Feltham (Victoria, Canada) each shot 70 for the Dragons, followed by Oliver at 71, Justin Ary (Quinton, Okla.) at 74 and Ben Welker (Carrollton) at 80.
Over the second 18, behind Oliver’s 66 were Welker at 70, Nugent at 71, Ary at 71 and Feltham at 74.
The PJC green team – made up of Paul Simpson (Scotland) (74-72—146), Blake Lindsey (Decatur) (75-73—148), Robert Raborn (Sallisaw, Okla.) (76-78—154), Tregg Buchanan (Antlers, Okla.) (83-73—156) and Jeremy Salas (Arlington) (80-83—163) — finished eighth. Zac McEwin (Paris), the 11th member of the PJC golf team, also played, shooting a 78-77—155.
“I thought we competed well,” PJC golf coach David Johnson said.
“We played solid through the whole day and didn’t hit too many highs and lows. That’s important when you play 36 holes in one day, being consistent. I am very proud of our team for their win,” he said.
The field also included Tyler Junior College, McLennan College, Seminole College, Jacksonville College, and junior varsities from Cameron University, Southeast Oklahoma State and Texas AM-Commerce.
There also was a women’s tournament, with teams from Tyler Junior College, Seminole College, Murray State, Jacksonville College and UT-Tyler. PJC does not have a women’s golf team.
The tournament on the banks of Lake Texoma in early October will be the first of three tournaments for PJC’s golf team that month. The Dragons will also compete in the Tyler JC Fall Invitational alongside Lake Palestine on Oct. 22-23, and at the McLennan Coca-Cola Classic on Oct. 28-30 at Waco.
Charles Richards Charles Richards moved to Paris in 2004 after retiring from a 40-year career in journalism – the last 26 years as a news writer and sports writer with The Associated Press in Dallas and Washington, D.C. In mid-2004, The Paris News coaxed him out of retirement, and he began covering the police, court and regional beat for The Paris News. Then in early 2005, he was switched to coverage of a sharply divided Paris City Council. He was appointed by the City Council in 2006 to the 12-member City Charter Review Commission, which extensively rewrote the outmoded document. His writing awards include two first-place awards in statewide competition for feature writing. The most recent was his 2005 story on a Paris doctor’s startling use of leeches in a successful attempt to re-attach a man’s severed ear. Over his career, Richards’ interview subjects include Alabama Gov. George Wallace, President Bill Clinton, President George W. Bush, David Koresh, Arnold Palmer, Muhammad Ali and numerous other political and sports figures. He is an alumnus of Texas Tech, where he was editor of the school newspaper. He lives in Paris with his wife, Barbara, who is retired after 30 years as a teacher and high school counselor.
follow: RSS
