Ravenwood senior Brendon Caballero, tied for second at the state tournament, prepares for a putt on the green on Wednesday.

 Lady Raptors also still in running at AAA golf tourney
By CAROL STUART
For Brentwood Home Page
Ravenwood senior Brendon Caballero scored an eagle on the par-5 No. 7 and trails by just a stroke after an opening 3-under 69 in the Class AAA state golf tournament.

Caballero shares second place with Cookeville junior Adam Cunningham after Tuesday’s first round at WillowBrook Golf Club in Manchester, Tenn. Hendersonville sophomore Kevin Lee leads with a 4-under 68 heading into Wednesday’s final round.

The Brentwood boys team, led by 1-over 73s juniors by Ryan Grundberg and Grant Lawrence, is eight strokes back of first-place Farragut. And the Ravenwood girls, just a stroke short of the champions last year, are seven strokes back in fifth after rounds of 79 by defending state champ Taylor Manning and region winner Katie Parrott.

Caballero’s sister Lauren, now an RHS junior, won a state doubles tennis title and led the Lady Raptors to a team championship in May.

“I’m not trying to like even up with her, but it would be nice to top her state title,” Brendon said.

After his eagle, Caballero made the turn at 5-under including birdies on No. 2, 3, 5 and 8. He bogeyed the 4th hole on the front nine and the 12th and 14th on the back.

“I had a really strong front nine that really got me started, and then I just kind of pushed it in,” he said.

“I feel my chances are pretty good. I really like this course, but you never know. The competition is going to be stiff, but I feel I can handle it pretty well.”

Caballero said he hit a driver off the tee on the seventh hole and had 160 yards in, then hit an 8-iron on the  approach and came up just short of the green.

“There were a bunch of the aeration holes in front of the green so I just decided to chip it,” he said. “It just broke right in the hole. It was awesome.”

Even more awesome, his teammate, Paul Kleine-Kracht, like Caballero qualifying as an individual, had an eagle on the same hole playing in the next group.

“I actually watched it go in,” Caballero said. “He and Iwere having fun the whole round since we were the only two guys from Ravenwood. We just kind of communicated back and forth across the course.”

RHS Coach Dan Hollandsworth called Caballero’s 31 on the front side “amazing.” “I really feel good about his chances.  He is playing well right now and shows no signs of stopping,” the coach said. “If he can knock down a few more 10 foot birdie putts, he will put himself in a position to shoot a really low score.” 

Kleine-Kracht, who carded a 2-over 74, birdied the first hole but had a double-bogey on No. 4, then rallied with the eagle and a birdie on No. 9 for a 1-under halfway.

 “If he keeps striking the ball the way he did today, he really should have a good day,” Hollandsworth said.

Caballero likes the course because it’s pretty short and he can get distance plus use his short-iron game. “I just look forward to going out there and trying to get a win tomorrow,” he said. 

Bruins start off strong

For BHS, Grundberg biridied the first three holes for a great start but had a bogey on the fourth and seventh holes to drop to 1-under on the front nine. Lawrence also was 1-under after 9.

“I was especially proud of Ryan Grundberg and Grant Lawrence for shooting 73 by staying focused and mentally tough for the grueling six-hour round,” first-year coach John Higgins said.

“We handled the large gallery and pressure packed situation with great poise. We quickly showcased our talent when we had three players shoot under par on the front nine.”

Bruins golfers Lawrence, Peyton McClure (77), Will Joiner (80) and Chris Tyminski (83) and were all even par on the first three holes, and McClure stayed even through eight. Tyminski, a freshman, scored a triple-bogey 7 on No. 6 and then again on No. 15, however.

Joiner, a senior, was 1-under after nine holes, but ballooned to 8-over after taking a 9 on the par-5 No. 16.

“After our poor back nine, we are thankful to only be trailing by 8 shots,” Higgins said. “We know that we are in contention to win and are excited about the opportunity of winning the state tournament tomorrow.”

RHS girls within striking distance

For the Lady Raptors, Manning was even par after three holes but had bogeys on her fourth and fifth holes, No. 13-14. Parrott, also starting on No. 10, bogeyed four of the opening nine holes including 2-over at the 18th but played her second half in 2-over. Natalie Turk was only 5-over before the turn before finishing with an 88.

Jefferson County senior Kendall Martin leads the girls tournament with a 3-under 69.

“The girls team was a little disappointed in their scores,” Hollandsworth said.  “In my opinion, they are definitely still in the running and are creating their game plan for (Wednesday).  We have spent some time working out the kinks that we ran into today and are prepared to make a comeback.”

Lady Bruins golfers Becca Gunger (86) and Catherine Doyle (91), competing as individuals and teeing off on No. 10, started off strong on their first few holes but had a rougher time on Nos. 1-9.

Amber Hardy of Independence had the best girls round from the region with a 78.

Also from the region, Independence junior Michael Monroe shot a 70 to stand in third place. Franklin junior Chris Baker had a 7-over 79.

BOYS

Team scores: Farragut 295, Hendersonville 297, Houston 302, Brentwood 303, Science Hill 308, Tullahoma 310, McMinn County 316, Brighton 343.

Ravenwood (individuals only)

PAR                                        453 444 534_36 +/-          435 444 534_36 +-           _ 72 +/-

Caballero, Brendon         442 534 324_31 (-5)         436 454 534_38 (+2)        _ 69 (-3)

Kleine-Kracht, Paul          353 644 334_35 (-1)         434 454 735_39 (+3)        _ 74 (+2)

Brentwood (team and individuals)

Grundberg, Ryan             342 544 634_35 (-1)         425 654 534_38 (+2)        _ 73 (+1)

Lawrence, Grant              453 443 534_35 (-1)         445 354 544_38 (+2)        _ 73 (+1)

McClure, Peyton              453 444 535_37 (+1)        435 455 734_40 (+4)        _ 77 (+5)

Joiner, Will                          363 435 434_35 (-1)         536 645 934_45 (+9)         _ 80 (+8)

Tyminski, Chris                  543 447 446_41 (+5)        435 457 545_42 (+6)        _ 83 (+11)

(Team alternate: Fincher, Cody)

GIRLS

Team scores: Soddy-Daisy 151, Portland 155, Bearden 156, Jefferson County 156, Ravenwood 158, Siegel 163, Munford 187, White Station 214.

Brentwood (individuals only)

Gunger, Becca                   564 665 546_47 (+11)      444 564 525_39 (+3)        _86 (+14)

Doyle, Catherine              574 548 646_49 (+13)      336 367 536_42 (+6)        _ 91 (+19)

Ravenwood (team and individuals)

Manning, Taylor               464 454 534_39 (+3)        435 554 644_40 (+4)        _ 79 (+7)

Parrott, Katie                     553 543 535_38 (+2)        436 454 636_41 (+5)        _ 79 (+7)

Turk, Natalie                      584 336 576_47 (+11)      446 455 544_41 (+5)        _ 88 (+16)

(Team alternate: Madison Braun)