The Tate boys and Gulf Breeze girls won district titles, while Northview senior Anna Kunkel brought home an individual district title.
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- The Tate boys golf team won its first district championship in school history.
- Both the Tate boys and Pace boys teams qualified for the Region 1-3A championship.
- The Gulf Breeze girls golf team also secured a district title, its first since 2019.
- Several individual golfers from various local schools also qualified for regional tournaments.
After a disappointing finish to the season a year ago, Tate boys golf made a promise it wouldn’t let the same thing happen again.
A promise the Aggies kept while making history along the way. Tate captured what is believed to be the first boys district golf championship in school history at the District 1-3A championship on Oct. 24 at Stonebrook Golf Club in Pace.
“We just feel really satisfied because of how much work we’ve put in this past year,” Tate junior Baylor Tate said. “We didn’t have a good finish last year so we just promised ourselves that we were gonna come back even stronger, even better the next year.”
The Aggies top four golfers combined to finished with a score of 305, six strokes ahead of runner-up Pace. Both teams qualified for the Region 1-3A championship, which will take place Nov. 3 at Twin Rivers Golf Club in Oviedo. The top two teams and top two golfers outside the top two teams from each district qualify for regionals.
Touchstone shot a 72 to tie for third and lead Tate, one stroke behind Chiles; Caleb Parker and Niceville’s Joshua Kelley. Kelley defeated Parker on a playoff to finish as the low medalist.
The Aggies had two other golfers, freshman Jaxson Thomason (6th, 73) and senior Parker Hassell (9th, 79) finished in the top 10.
Pace senior Adam Penrod shot a 72 to join Touchstone in a tie for third. Patriots junior Easton Viator (7th, 77) and sophomore Tate Jernigan (8th, 78) also finished in the top 10.
Tate emphasized grit and determination, locking in until the job was finished. Something Touchstone tries to do by focusing solely on his own round, even though teammates can track each other using iWanamaker, an app the FHSAA partners with for teams to upload results.
“Always staying on them, telling them it’s not over yet,” Touchstone said. “Always telling them to keep pushing, hard work.”
Hassell is the group’s only senior, which means this could be the start of a nice run for Tate golf. Touchstone and junior Ben Robinson competed at districts last year, and now the whole team gets to take the bus down to Oviedo. A different stage for some, but hopefully not a different mindset.
“Just treat it just like districts,” Touchstone said. “Just stay in the process, don’t focus on results. Just grit and determination like we’ve been doing all season.”
Gulf Breeze girls golf joined the Tate boys as a local district winner, finishing with a score of 340 to win its first district title since 2019. Dolphins junior Michelle Burt won the district title with a 77 after defeating Niceville’s Tenley Sharron in a two-hole playoff.
Gulf Breeze senior Riley Bounds (5th, 81) and junior Addyson Davidson (t-8th, 87) joined Burt in the top 10.
Pace finished second with a combined score of 350 and also qualified for regionals. Freshman Gianna Dettling led the Patriots, shooting a 78 to finish third. Junior Acey Anolik (t-8th, 87) also finished in the top 10.
Navarre sophomore Jaya McDonald shot an 80 to finish fourth, qualifying for regionals. The Region 1-3A girls championship will take place Nov. 4 at Hawkstone Country Club in Gainesville.
District 1-2A Boys (Fort Walton Beach Golf Club)
South Walton captured the district title with a combined score of 307, nine strokes ahead of second place Arnold. Both team’s advance to the Region 1-2A tournament, which will take place Nov. 4 at Golf Club Fleming Island.
West Florida finished third with 343. Jaguars sophomore Cooper Davidson automatically qualified for regionals, shooting a 76 to tie for fourth.
District 1-1A Girls (Eagle Springs Golf and Rec Park, DeFuniak Springs)
Northview senior Anna Kunkel shot a 69 to win the district title, beating Pensacola Catholic junior Elizabeth Palmer by one stroke.
Kunkel automatically qualifies for the Region 1-1A championship, which will be Nov. 3 at Eagle Harbor Golf Club in Jacksonville.
Pensacola Catholic’s team also automatically qualified for the regional championship, as the Crusaders finished second with 371, 15 strokes behind district champion Rocky Bayou Christian. Crusaders junior Amelia McIntosh joined Palmer in the top 10, shooting an 85 to finish fifth. Jay junior Presley Hawthorne also placed in the top 10, shooting a 99 to finish ninth.
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