Beau Pré 4-ball tournament begins with low numbers
Published 12:11 am Sunday, October 12, 2014
![Ridgeland golfer Gary Brown hits the ball out of the sand trap onto the 18th green during Saturday's round of the Beau Pré four ball golf tournament. (Ben Hillyer / The Natchez Democrat)](https:https://www.natchezdemocrat.com//wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2014/10/101214Golf1_bh.jpg)
Ridgeland golfer Gary Brown hits the ball out of the sand trap onto the 18th green during Saturday’s round of the Beau Pré four ball golf tournament. (Ben Hillyer / The Natchez Democrat)
Low numbers filled the scorecards of golfers in the first round of the Beau Pré Fall 4-Ball tournament Saturday.
Fifty-seven teams hit the links in hopes of taking home first place and some got off to a hot start.
The team of Bill Byrne and Kevin Smith Sr., playing in the first flight shot a first round 68, and were happy with where they stood after day one.
“We had five birdies and one bogey,” Byrne said. “We played decent and I’m satisfied with the round.”
Other teams got off to a slower start, but believe they can still hang around in the tournament.
“We didn’t make any birdies, but we held our own,” said Johnny Hollier who was paired with Toney Turnley. “We played early in the morning and it was still a little wet, so the ball didn’t roll like normal, but the course is in great shape.”
The majority ruling around the clubhouse was that the course played well for the most part and offered a good challenge.
“I thought it was set up fair,” Byrne said. “There were only a couple of tough pin plays, but the course is in very good shape. No problems at all.”
Hollier agreed.
“The course is in great shape,” he said. “It is a challenging course. It is long for the guys that hit it like we do — short. But it is a fair golf course that is wide open.”
Both Byrne and Hollier are no strangers to the game, having played for some time, and know there are a few little things that they want to improve upon heading into today’s round.
“We have to make our putts,” Hollier said. “In a club tournament you have to do that. You can get up and down, but if you can’t make putts, you don’t score.”
Byrne said the bogey is what sticks out in his mind.
“We just made one really bad bogey and you just can’t afford to do that in a four-ball.”