Arabia Mountain, Chamblee, Dunwoody golfers qualify for state tournaments

By Mark Brock

DEKALB COUNTY, GA–Following Area Golf Tournament play, DeKalb County has three individual golfers (two girls, one boy) heading to their respective state tournaments on May 20-21.

Two of the golfers are set to travel to the Class 5A state championship being held at Okefenokee Country Club in Blackshear, Georgia.

Arabia Mountain’s Avah Allen finished third overall at the recent Area 3-5A girls’ tournament by shooting a 97 as the top individual qualifier not on a state qualifying team. Allen adds the trip to state to her DeKalb County Golf Championships title.

The other Class 5A qualifier is Chamblee’s Dylan Lawson who will also go to Okefenokee Golf Club for the state tournament. Lawson finished in a tie for tenth in the Area 3-5A boys’  tournament with an 82 as the top individual qualifier not on a state qualifying team. Lawson was runner-up at this year’s DeKalb County Golf Championships after falling in a two-hole playoff.

Dunwoody’s Cora Webster was the third state qualifier and heads to Apple Mountain Country Club in Clarkesville, Georgia for the Class 6A girls’ state tournament. Webster finished the day at Mirror Lake Golf Club with a 100 to finish eighth overall in the Area 3-6A girls’ tournament. Webster’s 100 was three strokes better than her 103 to finish fifth in the county championships.

DeKalb had three other Top 10 finishers in area competition. Lakeside’s Aidan Tuttle finished six strokes off qualifying for the state tournament as he shot a 78 at Mirror Lake in the Area 3-6A boys’ tournament to finish tied for 10^th in the individual standings. Tuttle shot six strokes better in area than his 84 to finish tied for 10^th in the county championships

Chamblee’s Catherine Hanson put together a 103 at Fields Ferry Golf Club in Calhoun to finish seventh overall in the Area 3-5A girls’ tournament individual standings and six strokes behind Allen. Hanson was the runner-up at the county championships to Allen with a 93.

Druid Hills freshman Aiko Benford came up nine strokes short of qualifying for state with her 94 in the Area 4-4A girls’ tournament at Oak Mountain Golf Club in Carrollton. The score placed her eighth overall in the individual standings. Benford shot a 95 to finish third in the county championships early in the month.

The top team finishes at area included both Chamblee teams finishing fifth overall in Area 3-5A and the Dunwoody girls’ finishing fifth in Area 3-6A.

Story and photos by Mark Brock, Athletics Specialist for DeKalb County School District (DCSD)