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New Bern’s Sam Hipps shoots toward the pin Tuesday in a Coastal 8 Conference match at the New Bern Country Club. The Bears won the tourney with a score of 283.
Byron Holland/Sun Journal
Bears edge closer to the top
New Bern moves within one shot of conference lead
The New Bern golf team needed to have a big day on Tuesday in order to catch up with Coastal 8 Conference-leader J.H. Rose.
The Bears trailed the Rampants by 10 shots heading into Tuesday's conference match at New Bern Country Club.
On its home course, the Bears gained some ground, topping J.H. Rose by nine shots and cutting their season deficit to just one.
"We didn't have a bad start, we played kind of steady, but Rose played just a little better than us in the start," said New Bern coach Dutch Overton. "We seemed to have put it all together today, and it should be a big confidence booster for us and should put us back in the hunt."
New Bern won the tournament with a score of 283. Rose followed with a 292. D.H Conley shot a 330, while Havelock finished fourth with 357 strokes.
"(Rose) is really strong with their best four players and maybe a fifth player," Overton said. "It is shaping up to be a good fight between the two of us."
West Craven (378) came in sixth place.
"The kids are playing as hard as they can play," said West Craven coach Clay Jordan. "Most of our kids are not members of clubs and don't have access to country clubs."
The Bears hope to take the lead over Rose at the next conference tournament on March 31 at the Greenville Country Club.
"We had a couple guys step up late for us and that kind of helped out," said New Bern junior Steven Aster. "We have a lot of potential."
New Bern's No. 3 golfer, sophomore Ben Heisy, had the best score of the day with a 66.
"I hit a lot of greens and fairways and putted really good," Heisy said. "I only had one bogey."
His teammate, Aster, finished second with a 68.
"He played really good today," said New Bern senior Jordan Murphy, who played his round with Aster. "He was hitting all the fairways, hitting most of the greens and making a lot of putts."
Murphy, New Bern's No. 1 golfer, was disappointed with his play. He shot a season-high 76 and wasn't counted in New Bern's score.
The top four scores are counted in the team's final tally.
"I didn't play too good today," Murphy said. "I couldn't hit a fairway and couldn't hit a green. It was not my best."
Dermot McElhennon scored a 74, and Forrest Morton tallied a 75 for New Bern.
"The team played pretty good," Murphy said. "It is our home course, so we should have a pretty good advantage here."
Havelock's top golfer Jed Frazier also had an off-day. The junior shot a season-high 93.
"He had a bad day," said Havelock coach Phil Buzzelli. "He just said he was off today. They get to drop their highest round, so I am sure he will drop this one."
Havelock senior Aaron Findlay scored an 85, while teammate Alex Calloway carded an 89. Zach Miller chipped in a 96.
"What we do is go back and check to see what everybody has done wrong," Buzelli said. "A lot of times it is wrong mental decisions or not taking your time. We will work on that."
West Craven was paced by Bobby Baysden's 78. Baysden, who is the only member of a country club, consistently hits in the low 70s
"Bobby is a good player," Jordan said. "He takes the game very seriously, plays a lot, practices hard and he has improved with his consistency. He is striking the ball much better and his course management is better."
Justin Barrow fired a 96 for the Eagles, while Serge McMillan recorded a 101. Tommy Barrow rounded out the scoring with a 105.
"I just want them to have a good time and show some improvement," Jordan said. "For most of these kids, last year was their first time playing. As long as they keep working hard and keep a good attitude on the course, that is all I can ask for."
Adam Thompson can be reached at (252) 635-5670 or at athompson@freedomenc.com.
