NACC men’s golf team finishes strong in spring season-opening tournament

After turning in a solid first round during its first tournament of the spring season, the Northeast Alabama Community College men's golf team took it up notch in Round 2.

The Mustangs improved by 10 strokes during Tuesday's second round and finished 11th in the Coastal Alabama North Spring Invitational at Juniper Creek Golf Club in Brewton.

First-year NACC men's golf head coach Jabo Moore said he expected Round 2 improvement after his team was able to knock some of the rust off that was caused by weather-related limited practice time.

"Started off a little sloppy in the first round. But with us only having one to two days to actually get outside on the course due to the cold weather here in north Alabama to prepare for this upcoming spring season, I couldn't really blame them," Moore said. "We have some athletes though. They caught on quick and just played their game."

Ethan Roberts led the NACC effort, finishing tied for 13th in the tournament's individual standings with a two-round 5-over par 149. The sophomore from Scottsboro followed his opening-round 3-over par 75 with a second-round 2-over par 74. Roberts climbed six spots in the individual standings after a second-round performance that included six birdies.

"Ethan came off of a great fall season and is picking up right where he left off," Moore said. "I predict he will be in the winner circle individually of a tournament this spring. He puts the work in and is really learning how to play the game."

Freshman Blake Maples also had a strong NACC spring debut. The North Sand Mountain alum tied for 26th with a two-round 9-over par. He followed his opening-round 4-over par 76 with a 5-over par 77 in Round 2, a round that included three birdies.

Freshman Owen McGee of Fort Payne improved his second-round score by seven strokes from Round 1, shooting a 7-over par 79 on Tuesday. Freshman and Kansas native Reece McKlintok shot six strokes better in Round 2, posting a 9-over par 81 while sophomore Greyson Widgeon of Scottsboro improved by two strokes with a 10-over par 82.

"Definitely moving in the right direction to compete and contend in tournaments," Moore said. "My goal this year was just to lay the foundation. I was fortunate enough to have a great group of young men to lay the foundation and any success from here on out will be because of this group. I'm excited to see how we move forward."