The 10th annual Gary Wells Cup kicked off a new scholastic sports season last week and the final scoreboard was full of repeat winners in the three-day event that was shortened to two days because of a rainout of Monday’s match at the Ewell Butler Golf Course on the grounds of the Lewisburg Recreation Center.

Play resumed Tuesday at the Buford Ellington Golf Course inside Henry Horton State Park and the final round was at Saddle Creek Golf Club on Wednesday.

After the completion of nine holes on both days the Forrest Rockets came out on top to complete a three-peat of the cup.

“I was very happy the way our boys came out of the gate and put up some good scores at Henry Horton and it was great to finally get the opportunity to play Saddle Creek after being absent from competition for the last couple of years,” Forrest coach Andy Burkett said. “Our boys definitely had some rust at Saddle Creek, while we played well and I'm proud of them, we definitely have a lot to improve and build on.”

Marshall County High School and Cornersville did not have four players in order to qualify to compete for the team title.

“I think a lot of the issues with golf participation are reflected in some of the struggles many teams and even different sports are facing due to the implementation of virtual learning emphasis from last year,” Burkett said. “For several teams, it was difficult to get the word out about golf interest and tryouts; hopefully this is something that we can remedy in the future.”

Tiger sophomore Easton McMahon won last year’s Jeff Jones low medalist award and he did again, shooting a 46 at Henry Horton on Tuesday before coming back with a solid two-over par 38 at Saddle Creek on Wednesday for an 84 overall score.

Forrest had the next three spots as Noah Brown was second with an 87 (42-45), Bryson Smith third 93 (45-48), and Sebastian Thompson was fourth with a two-day total of 96 (49-47).

“I was very proud of the way both Bryson and Noah played during the Cup and I thought they both put themselves in a good chance to post some good scores, but a few holes made the difference in podium positions,” Burkett said.

“Easton McMahon is a great kid and an outstanding golfer. It didn't surprise me to see him play so well at Saddle Creek. He definitely used his familiarity with the course to his advantage and definitely deserved the Jones medal.”

MCHS’ Ronan Scott was fifth, shooting 49 at Henry Horton and 51 at Saddle Creek for an even 100.

Other Scores:

Forrest: Kelton Grubbs (52-57-103), Trey Williamson (54-50-104), Colby Johnson (61-55-116).

Cornersville: Brax Hunter (58-65-123), Micah Riddle (58) at Saddle Creek.

On the girls’ side, the Cornersville Lady Bulldogs beat Forrest 187-212 to claim back-to-back Wells Cup crowns with Annabelle Mulliniks leading the way with a two-day total of 89 (45-44), while Braylin Powers shot 98 (52-46), Jayli Childress 109 (53-56), Eliza Nelson 113 (58-55), and Isabella Robinson 120 (58-62).

“Coach (Peyton) Newton has done an excellent job of getting those Cornersville girls ready for solid competition,” Burkett said. “They should be extremely tough in postseason play, and I think they are probably the early favorites for the district championship for the girls.”

“We will need to build upon our previous successes to be able to find a way to compete with them at a high level.”

Forrest’s Maggie Browning shot a two-day score of 83 (44-39) to take away the Betty Ogilvie Medal from Mulliniks, who was the only county golfer to qualify for the TSSSAA State Tournament last year.

“I can't say enough about Maggie Browning and her prowess to become one of the best golfers in the district,” Burkett said. “She worked hard all summer long, playing in Sneds tour events and other tournaments and her hard work is certainly paying off.”

For the second season in a row, Olivia Wooten was the lone girls golfer from MCHS and she shot a two-day total of 118 (56-62). Newcomer Ava Edmondson shot a two-day total of 129 (64-65) for the Lady Rockets.