The Ponte Vedra High boys golf team has a lot of ground to make up on Wednesday in the FHSAA Class 3A state golf tournament at the Mission Inn Resort El Campeon Course in Howey-in-the-Hills if they want to add to their record of seven consecutive state championships.
Perhaps too much.
The Sharks had only two players break 80 and none cracked the top 20 as they finished tied for sixth with Sarasota at 28-over par in the first round on Tuesday. Viera leads at 5-over, Jupiter is 12-over, Lakewood Ranch 14-over, Beachside 18-over and Dwyer is 25-over.
Creekside High School senior Bryson Hughes is in second place with a 3-under 69, three shots behind leader Shawn Coultoff of West Orange after a furious back-nine rally.
Hughes was 2-over on the front but birdied Nos. 10, 12, 14, 15 and 16.
The low Sharks player is Jack Chung in a tie for 23rd at 5-over 77 with Beachside’s Barton Abstein and Jaspreet Kondal and Tocoi Creek’s Ambrose Kinnare.
Jonah Nacional of Beachside is the low area player in a tie for eighth at 1-over 73.
Beachside girls in position to repeat
Sofia Rivera (72) is in a tie for eighth and Fiona Clancy (76) tied for 21st to lead the Beachside Barracudas to second place in the 3A girls tournament at the Las Colinas Course at 24-over, four shots behind Lake Nona. Beachside won the Class 2A state title last year.
Five players are tied for the individual lead at 1-under 70, including Lake Nona’s Alexandra Snyder.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Ponte Vedra boys golf team in a deep hole at FHSAA Class 3A state golf
