The month long heat wave that has encompassed Middle Tennessee let up just a bit on Monday, much to the delight of the 46 high school golfers that participated in the District 11A-AA Tournament at the Buford Ellington Golf Course inside Henry Horton State Park.

“It was a fantastic day from a weather perspective and a nice break from the overbearing heat we've been experiencing throughout the course of the month of September,” said Forrest coach and tournament director Andy Burkett. “I think the scores yesterday really reflected the nice weather, and I'm glad all players were able to take advantage of that.”

Defending district champion and state tournament runnerup Evan Woosley-Reed, who shot a six-under par 66 in last year’s event carded a 69 on Monday to tie Eagleville senior Bobby Snell for lowest round of the day.

“You can observe a player like that and just know that he is on a different level when it comes to preparation and mental fortitude,” Burkett said. “Evan is a machine on the golf course; very rarely does he make mistakes, and even when he does, he is quick to correct them and never really ever finds himself in bad position.”

Snell was down one shot entering the back nine and fell two shots back when the Cascade sophomore birdied the par-5, 15th hole, but Snell roared back when he drained a dramatic 30-ft. eagle putt on the par-5, 503-yard 18th hole to tie the match.

“It was awesome to see Bobby make that eagle on 18 to come from two strokes down with three holes to play to tie Evan for the district championship overall,” Burkett said. “To my understanding, that is Bobby's career low round and he certainly proved he belongs in the ranks as one of the best overall golfers in our district.”

Reed beat Snell in a playoff for top medalist honors, but Snell’s effort along with an 83 by David Counts, a 90 by Will Bales, and a 98 by CJ Bega secured the district title for the Eagles (340), who dethroned Cascade (352) as district champions.

“Like I said before, it’s a testament to the competition in our district when it comes to facing opposing players like Evan and Bobby on a week-to-week basis,” Burkett said. “That definitely makes our guys better.”

The Forrest Rockets (379), who finished second last season, came in third place to grab the final qualifying spot in Friday’s Region 6 Tournament at the 6,268-yard Buford Ellington tract.

“Believe it or not, our boys actually shot three strokes better this year than they did last year when they were district runner-ups,” Burkett said. “I think that is just a testament to how much better our district has improved.

“Eagleville and Cascade are two tough golf teams with some elite level golfers, so to see our boys rise to the occasion and play some of their best golf of the year when it matters most is really special.”

Senior Connor Lewis led the Rockets as the big lefty shot 93 while fellow senior Hunter Ferguson and sophomore Sebastian Thompson carded 94’s.

“I'm especially proud of sophomore Sebastian Thompson, who shot a career low on the backside to secure third place for us,” Burkett said. “His play down the stretch was incredibly clutch and it’s awesome to see a great kid like that make such an impact for our team.”

Forrest junior Carter Jones had a 98 and sophomore Bryson Smith shot 103. The top four scores are used for the final tally for the boys and the top two girls’ scores.

“Their regular season match record was 18-6, so to see them capitalize that and continue to push the season on a high note into the region championship is awesome,” Burkett said.

The Forrest Lady Rockets also finished second in last year’s district tournament and posted a 15-3 regular season mark coming into Monday’s match.

Senior standout Sara Browning, a state tournament qualifier last season, teed off on the back nine and shot 45 before coming back with a solid 42 on the front for an 87 to lead the Lady Rockets to a third place finish.

“Last year we had a solid bit of experience on the girls golf team and it was reflected in our 14-0 regular season record; however, I have to say I'm very impressed by the commitment to get better and excel when it came to our girls team,” Burkett said. “I think it’s safe to say they will improve from their district tournament performance.”

“They managed to get into the region championship, now they want to capitalize and prove they belong there.”

Browning’s eighth-grade sister Maggie came to the clubhouse in 115 strokes while Ally Blanton carded a 121.

“Sara is obviously our veteran out there, but Ally Blanton and Sara's sister Maggie Browning really stepped up to fill the void for the girls golf team in their first district tournament ever,” Burkett said. “Competing in the district tournament is a daunting task when it comes to the pressure, so I'm pleased to see our entire girls team get the opportunity to advance to the region championship.”

Hickman County’s Bailey Gilbert, who was second medalist last season took home top honors on Monday with a slick one-over par 73 while Harper Shelton carded a 90 for a 163 total, securing the district title for the defending champion Lady Bulldogs.

“Bailey Gilbert is a machine on the golf course, she is long off the tee and really takes advantage of this throughout the golf course,” Burkett said. “She very rarely finds herself in difficult situations, but even when she does, she manages to rise to the occasion and play her best golf.”

“She won the district by 14 strokes, so I'm definitely expecting big things from her in the region championship.”

Cascade finished second with Kennedy Miller equaling Sara Browning’s 87, but Browning took the second medalist spot when she won a playoff over Miller.

“I don't think Sara was very happy with her performance on the back nine, but she turned it around on the front and put herself into position to win a playoff,” Burkett said. “It’s awesome to see how much Sara's game has progressed over the years, and I couldn't be happier for her moving forward as the silver medalist for our district.”

“She's definitely not satisfied though, her end goal is to make it back to the state championship, and she will continue to push herself to be as prepared as possible for the region tournament.”

Shelton was fourth medalist as she beat Cascade’s Chandler Noel in a playoff after both golfers shot 90.

The other girls that qualified for Friday’s Region 6 tournament are Kendall Spicer (Fairview) 109, Kylie Vaughn (Eagleville) 113, Alex Klarer (Eagleville) 119, Shelby Bentley (East Hickman) 119, and Emily Bentley (East Hickman) 124.

Forrest Boys

Connor Lewis 48-45-93

Hunter Ferguson 46-48-94

Sebastian Thompson 49-45-94

Carter Jones 47-51-98

Bryson Smith 54-49-103

Top 5 Medalists

Evan Woosley-Reed (Cascade) 69

Bobby Snell (Eagleville) 69

Clayton Williams (Fairview) 76

EJ Hill (Santa Fe) 77

Davis Counts (Eagleville) 83

Region Qualifiers

Clayton Williams (Fairview) 76

EJ Hill (Santa Fe) 77

Kaynon Pruitt (Hickman County) 95

Ryan Kilgore (Fairview) 101

Ethan Crumpler (East Hickman) 102

Team Scores

Eagleville-340

Cascade-352

Forrest-379

Hickman County-400

Community-486

Forrest Girls

Sara Browning-87

Maggie Browning-115

Ally Blanton-121

Top 5 Medalists

Bailey Gilbert (Hickman County) 73

Sara Browning (Forrest) 87

Kennedy Miller (Cascade) 87

Harper Shelton (Hickman County) 90

Chandler Noel (Cascade) 90

Region Qualifiers

Kendall Spicer (Fairview) 109

Kylie Vaughn (Eagleville) 113

Alex Klarer (Eagleville) 119

Shelby Bentley (East Hickman) 119

Emily Bentley (East Hickman) 124

Team Scores

Hickman County-163

Cascade-177

Forrest-202

Eagleville-232

East Hickman-243