Jaguars win match at Pineville course

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Harlan County’s Matt Lewis competed in a tournament on Thursday in Pineville.

North Laurel rolled to a 20-stroke win Thursday in a match at the Wasioto Winds Golf Course in Pineville with a 154. Middlesboro was second with a 174, one stroke ahead of Bell County. Harlan County and Knox Central also had golfers in the match but didn’t qualify for the team competition.
Middleboro’s Tyler Harris was the individual winner with a three-under par 36, two strokes ahead of Bell County’s Andrew Caldwell.
“Tyler Harris was very impressive tonight. He has been playing some outstanding golf all season long but it seemed he would have one bad hole or something that would knock him down a bit. Tonight. he put together a very impressive round in very difficult conditions,” said Harlan County coach Greg Lewis.
North Laurel’s Lucas Binder was third with a 36, while teammate Connor McKeehan and Bell’s Hayden Clark each shot a 38. Knox Central’s Bryce Imel had a 39. Harlan County’s Matt Lewis and Brayden Casolari rounded out the top eight with a 40 and 41, respectively.
“Matt was in total control of his game tonight. He struck the hall well. He drove it as good as he has all year and his short game was on. He actually played much better than his 40, which is a good score,” Lewis said. “We had a pretty tough rain storm come through and delayed the match. He caught a couple tough lies that didn’t react like he thought it would. I’m excited about where his game is at right now.
“Like Matt’s last round, Brayden pulled a 41 out of what should have been higher. He didn’t strike the ball as well as he has, but he absolutely battled through this round and got the best he could out of it. As I said before, the conditions were tough and learning to adjust to that takes time. Every time he tees it up he’s learning more and more about how to handle different conditions, situations, etc., and he’s just getting better and better.”
Harlan County and Harlan will be participating in a regional qualifying tournament on Sunday in Pineville.