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By Brian Pitts

Enterprise Record

The road to a regional berth was treacherous, but Colby Moore of Davie’s boys golf team navigated it and secured the berth by parring the last six holes in the Central Piedmont Conference championship meet at Oak Valley on April 26.

Coming in, Moore was in jeopardy of missing the all-conference team and falling short of regional qualification. He secured both honors by shooting 2-over 74, good for sixth place on the day. What more could you want from a sophomore season?

“Yeah, it was a good day,” Moore said. “You couldn’t have asked for better weather, either. That’s the best I’ve ever shot in an official 18-hole tournament. I shot 76 a couple times.”

Robert Gefaell and Owen Pearce, both of Reynolds, turned in the top scores at 68 and 70, respectively. Davie’s Ben McGuire and Reagan’s Gavin Deibler tied for third with 72s.

Moore had everything clicking on the front nine. He birdied a par-5, bogeyed one hole and had seven pars to shoot 36. On the second hole, he “hit a pitching wedge within eight feet and made the putt” for birdie.

But Moore faced adversity on the back nine. He bogeyed Nos. 10 and 12.

“I was really mad and I had to make a 10-footer for par on 13,” he said. “That really helped me. Standing over the putt on 13, I was like: ‘This one needs to go in. If not, I’m going to be real upset and probably make a few more bogeys.’ I made the par putt on 13 and parred in.”

Moore started the day in 11th place in the CPC. He surged to ninth to seal an all-conference spot. (The top 11 made it.) He captured the fourth and final regional berth by two strokes. (The CPC champion, Reynolds, and the top four players not on Reynolds qualified for regional.)

“It was not looking too good at all,” Moore said of the regional berth. “I clinched it barely. It was super important to be. I’ve heard all about it and I’ve been excited all year to do it.

“I didn’t have my best ball-striking on the back nine – I wasn’t hitting it that great – but I was putting lights out. It was probably the best I’ve ever putted in a tournament. I was automatic from 5-10 feet. I was making the ones I had to.”

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Although his junior season ended at Oak Valley, McGuire played breathtaking golf. He was 3-under through six holes, shot 33 on the front and 39 on the back.

“I’m happy for him,” coach Joe Boyette said. “He’s a great kid. He works hard.”

“I’ve never seen him play like that,” Moore said. “I was so happy for him.”

How about this one: A War Eagle shot even par or better on 18 holes for just the seventh time this century. Besides McGuire, the list includes James Stewart (70-72 at UNC Finley in the 2000 state meet), Greg Brooks (1-under 69 at Bermuda Run West in 2002), Philip Kelley (72 at Bermuda Run West in 2013), Wesley Sink (72 at Forest Oaks in 2015) and Logan Ramsey (72 at Winding Creek in 2019).

Notes: Davie finished fourth. The team scores: Reynolds 2-over 290, West Forsyth 308, Reagan 309, Davie 320, East Forsyth 357 and Glenn 404. … Also from Davie, freshman Cooper Drum shot 85. Freshman Sean Coates and senior Rhyne Watts had 89s.