Golf Swings Into Postseason

“Murray High school has a stereotype that not many people there actually play sports and it was kind of nice to get rid of that, at least partially,” senior Graham Johnson said.

Johnson attends Murray High School, but was the number one golfer for AHS this year.

Although he went to a different school it made no difference to Johnson’s teammates. “It wasn’t any different with Graham going to Murray, we still saw him at practice every day,” senior Foster Ezell said.

This was Johnson’s first year on the golf team; however, it was not his first year trying out. While Johnson made the team his junior year, he could not participate because of a credit issue. “Not being able to play because of not having the credits inspired me to work harder on my education,” Johnson said.

Johnson took advantage of the time he had and worked hard to improve on his golf skills.

“I never really took it [golf] seriously until I tried out for the Albemarle team,” Johnson said.“I’d just go and play with friends on the weekends.”

Johnson’s worth ethic paid off when he earned the top spot in the varsity six this year.

“He definitely works the hardest out of everyone, and when it comes time to compete it really shows,” junior Josh Oliver said.

Heading into the postseason the team was ranked first in the district, with Johnson still leading the team.

In the District tournament, on September 22nd, the AHS team tied Charlottesville for first but gave the win to the Black Knights. This placed them second in the District and qualified them for Regionals.

The Regional tournament was held on October 6th. The team placed 5th and did not qualify for States. However, Johnson placed 9th individually and qualified for the State tournament.

The State tournament was a two day event on the 13th and 14th of October. While playing at the State tournament Johnson placed 16th overall. “It was a neat experience getting to play with some of the best golfers in the state,” Johnson said.

From playing recreationally with his friends to placing 16th in the state Johnson said this about his experience, “There wasn’t anything that stood out at states, the memories were made by my working to get there.”