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RC Senior Wraps Up Golf Career At State
Rockbridge County High School senior Andrew McCoy concluded an outstanding golf career for the Wildcats by tying for 14th place of 60 individuals at the Class 3 state tournament on Tuesday of last week at Heritage Oaks Golf Course in Harrisonburg.
McCoy shot a 76 on the challenging 18-hole, par-70 course. Battling rain and cold weather early in the day, McCoy had a strong start, with pars until the sixth hole. He had several bogeys and a double bogey but he ended the day with a par on the 18th hole.
For his final round, the 76, which tied McCoy with Grafton’s Lilly McDermott, was three strokes higher than what he’d shot on the same course at the Region 3C tournament, when he’d tied for second place, but most of the scores were higher than usual due to the conditions. Kettle Run’s Jack Wargo won with a 67, Lord Botetourt’s Alisa Davidova shot a 69 to place second, and Meridian’s Noah Peng (70) placed third.
Meridian shot a 297 to win the team title, Western Albemarle placed second of eight teams with a 302, and Kettle Run (309) finished third. Rounding out the top five were Lord Botetourt (316) and Liberty Christian Academy (327).
Reviewing his tournament, McCoy said, “I felt like I played pretty well. I hit the ball pretty well. For the most part, I missed it in pretty good spots. The putts just weren’t falling in.”
This was the second state tournament for McCoy. As a sophomore, he tied for 18th place to help the Wildcats place eighth as a team at Stonehenge Golf & Country Club in Richmond.
Last year, McCoy battled back from a hip injury to place fourth at the Region 3C tournament, missing advancing to the Class 3 state tournament by one spot. This year, he led the Wildcats all season, winning three matches, and he was named Valley District player of the year. He was named to the all-district and all-region teams. McCoy said his top highlights were his state-qualifying Region 3C tournament and firing an 8-under-par 63 to win decisively at the 18-hole, par-71 course at Shenvalee Golf Resort in New Market on Aug. 15.
Commending McCoy, RC head coach David Miller said, “So proud of him and his amazing senior year. Great player, leader, student and person.”
McCoy said he had a great experience playing for Miller over the last four years and will “miss the camaraderie of being with the team. I’ll miss the practices and the Chick-fil-A runs. Luckily, I’ve grown my friendships with everybody.” McCoy added that his parents, John and LeighAnn, “have been very supportive.”
While he’s in the area, McCoy plans to keep playing golf and helping the younger players.
After graduating, McCoy hopes to attend Campbell University in North Carolina, with plans to enroll in the school’s Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) management program. With this program, he wouldn’t be competing with the team, but he plans to continue playing golf for fun.
In addition to McCoy, RC’s senior captain, the Wildcats will graduate senior Bryce Bell in the spring, but they have plenty of promising underclassmen. Davis Welsh, one of three freshmen on the team, stepped up to qualify for the Region 3C tournament, where he shot an 84. Other RC leaders were junior captain Harrison Tanner and junior Dean Fafatas. Showing promise were sophomore Finbar Looney and freshmen Joe Vargas and Parker Flint.
The Wildcats’ scores improved notably from recent years, and their best score of the season was a 295 on Aug. 19 at Woodstone Meadows Golf Course in McGaheysville.
