Carter Walton has earned a voice at the family golf table discussion.
Two years after his brother, Tyler, did the same, the younger Walton qualified for the state golf tournament by finishing third overall in the Small Division Region 7 tourney at Persimmon Hills in Sharon Monday.
The Union City High School senior tied for second in regulation with Milan’s Taylor Davis after shooting a 4-over par 76 (39-37). Walton, who was two-over on both sides in his 18-hole round, fell to Davis on the second playoff hole to officially finish in third place.
The Small Division State Tournament will be held next week (Sept. 28 and 29) at the WillowBrook Golf Club in Manchester.
“What a great job by Carter and a tremendous feat for the Walton family,” Tornado head coach Jason Qualls said afterward. “Carter has been our best player all season, and he measured up to the challenge and his own expectations of making it to the state tournament today.
“And I’m sure there will be some interesting discussions at the family dinner table now between the two brothers.”
Walton rebounded from a rough start to punch his state tournament ticket. He bogeyed the first three holes of his round before recording a birdie on No. 5 and then parred the final four holes on the front-nine.
He parred seven on the nine holes on the back side, with bogeys at Nos. 10 and 17.
“He settled down after a tough start and was really steady the rest of the day,” Qualls added. “I’m so proud of him and for him. And it’s great for our program, too.”
McKenzie’s Jonathan Moore – the District 7 champion last week – matched his 74 shot at that level to win Monday’s regional championship.
Milan won the team championship and will advance in unison to the state tournament. McKenzie was runner-up, while Union City placed third (357) in the team standings.
Other individual scores for the Tornadoes included Nolan Chandler, 91 (52-39); Mason Reed, 94 (51-43); Gabriel Qualls, 96 (51-45); and Reese Paschall, 97 (51-46).
The young and promising Union City girls’ team tied for third with Huntingdon on the team scorecard, finishing with a 215 total.
Freshmen Mimi Jenkins shot 53-54 for a 107, while teammate Molly Kizer came in with a pair of 54s for a 108.
Jenkins’ score gave her a seventh-place finish in the 24-player field, while Kizer tied for eighth overall.
Olivia Tanner carded a 116 for the Lady Tornadoes, registering a 55 on the front-nine and a 61 on the second-nine.
“It was a great experience for our girls to play at this level,” Qualls said. “It’s only going to make them better because they’ll know what to expect next year when the stakes are higher,” Qualls said.
“I thought they all three gave a good accounting of themselves.”
McKenzie (157) won the team competition and will advance to the state, with Milan (164) placing second.
