03.26.10
By C. Jemal Horton
South Charlotte Weekly
March 26-April 1, 2010 edition
Last season, the Charlotte Latin School boys golf team finished fourth at the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 3A meet, which was the best showing among Mecklenburg County teams.
After losing a number of players from the 2009 squad to graduation, the Hawks will need the team’s new upperclassmen to embrace leadership roles on and off the course, while the underclassmen must mature quickly.
On March 23 at Providence Country Club, the Hawks suffered a sound 332-314 defeat to Charlotte Country Day, which dropped their record to 1-2. Still, Charlotte Latin coach Bob Robinson is optimistic.
“Losing so many seniors last year was tough for us,” Robinson said. “We’ve got to build on our three seniors. They’re going to have to step up as we try to develop our freshmen.”
The Charlotte Latin seniors – James Bramlett, Drew Lankford and Elliott Gamble – have appeared to answer the call early on, while junior Stephen DeVore also has played a key role.
During a 165-169 win over Lake Norman Charter March 22 at Charlotte Golf Links, Bramlett shot a nine-hole 40, which included seven consecutive pars. Lankford had pars on six of nine holes to fire a 40, while Gamble had six consecutive pars for a 42. DeVore also had a 42.
The good news for the Hawks is Bramlett, Lankford and DeVore performed well at the state meet last year. Lankford tied for eighth, Bramlett tied for 13th, while DeVore was 38th and Gamble 41st.
Lankford led the way in this week’s match against Charlotte Country Day, tying the Bucs’ Stuart McGoogan for medalist honors with an 18-hole 77. DeVore tied Country Day’s Al Dickens with a 78, and Bramlett matched Robert Gilmour’s 80.
The difference in the match was Country Day’s fourth competitor, Wilson Trent, who finished with a 79; Charlotte Latin’s fourth golfer, freshman Alex Wedding, had a 79 while playing the first 18-hole match of his varsity career.
Bramlett has been Charlotte Latin’s leader this season, which is fitting since he’s the team captain.
“He’s a quiet leader,” Robinson said. “He’s got a great temperament; he doesn’t let one hole ruin the whole game for him. I think he’s a great role model for our younger players.”
The Hawks also will rely heavily on Lankford, although he isn’t quite 100 percent healthy. Lankford had wrist surgery during the offseason, and his strong showing against Country Day came in just his second match of the season.
“Despite his injury, he continues to be a great golfer for us,” Robinson said. “He was very sore (after the Country Day match), and we had to give him some ice for his wrist. It was the first time he had played 18 holes, so I expected that. But he’s one of our top guys, and I believe he’ll continue to step up for us.
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