By Brandon Stephens

(Newland) – – Come take a flight with the Murphy Bulldog Golf Team into the western North Carolina 1-A Regional tournament.  Murphy is celebrating a Smoky Mountain Team Conference Championship as well as claiming the Player of the Year honors for Connor Golden.  Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 3^rd, five of the best Murphy High golfers will travel to Newland, near Boone, for the regional tournament at the Mountain Glen Golf Club (https://boone-asheville-nc-mountain-golf-course.com/).  Bulldog golfers Wyatt Simmons, Andrew Barolet, Connor Golden, Bradey Golden, and Harper Martin will represent Murphy in the regionals.  This will be one of the best years for Murphy High School golf as this will be a rare year for the Bulldogs to card five players.

It will be an early morning round probably for the Bulldogs on Tuesday morning.  Unlike the recent conference tournaments, which was a two round tournament, the regionals will be one round and on one day.  The 1-A regionals will break down to four tournaments with one in the West, Mid-West, Mid-East, and East.  The qualifiers will meet in the Championship round in Southern Pines at the Long Leaf Golf and Family Club (https://www.nchsaa.org/sites/default/files/2022%201A%20Longleaf%20Site%20Information.pdf).  So let’s play one round and flight at a time.

There is a good feeling and good energy pushing the Bulldogs.  Golf Coach Joseph Watson says this is simply a good way to go to the regional golf tournament.  “We are playing really good as a team right now.  We have four kids obviously that are playing really well.  Our fifth guy is honorable mention all-conference.  Connor Golden was the conference player of the year and playing really well.  He kinda got hot in the conference tournament and won that.  Wyatt Simmons who came in second in the conference tournament.  Andrew Barolet was all-conference.  Bradey Golden was honorable mention.  Then you have Harper Martin who was honorable mention.  That was the first time in a long time that we have had all five of our golfers become either all-conference or honorable mention within the Smoky Mountain Conference.  So we are heading to the regionals playing our best golf and that’s what you want to do,” Watson stated this week.  Coach Watson’s full comments can be seen at the link in this article.

Being in a good place, feeling well, and playing some of the best golf is setting the tone for these talented five Murphy golfers.  Wyatt Simmons shared his thoughts about the Smoky Mountain Conference tournament and how the Bulldogs will roll into the Regional Tournament in Avery County.  “I have been striking it (the golf ball) well.  I have been working with my swing coach and getting better and feeling good.  The team, as a whole, we are really playing well.  Connor Golden, his putter is really hot.  Andrew Barolet is striking it great.  Harper Martin is playing the best golf I have ever seen him play.  Bradey Golden is right there with Connor.  Everyone is playing great,” Simmons told us just before he went to practice.  Wyatt Simmon’s full comments can be seen at the link in this article.

Smoky Mountain Conference

Without a doubt this year the best Murphy golfer has been Wyatt Simmons.  During the conference championship rounds at Old Union and Sky Valley Simmons was off three strokes from Player of the Year and teammate Connor Golden.    The conference results looks like this:

Conference Team Finals