High school golf: General Brown’s Lennox uses course experience to claim Frontier League title | Frontier League
WELLESLEY ISLAND — Practice rounds have made perfect for General Brown senior Kacy Lennox as of late.
The Lions golfer shot a seven-over-par 78 to win the Frontier League golf championships Tuesday at the Thousand Islands Country Club Old Course. It was the first league tournament held since 2019 due to the coronavirus.
Lennox and his brother, Nick, completed a practice round at the course on Monday to get a feel for the layout. The younger Lennox was able to use the tricks he learned from that round to shave strokes from his championship round. Nick is a member of the Jefferson Community College golf team that will be competing at nationals next week.
“I got a read for the greens on Monday and got the speeds down, so that helped on my putting,” said Kacy, who was the only golfer to shoot under 80. “I kept away from (making) three-putts and knew what clubs to use on each hole.”
Lions coach Jim Covey said Lennox has shown he’s a quick learner, particularly in the last few weeks. Lennox finished second at the Section 3 North Division qualifier May 23.
“He did the same thing at McConnellsville,” Covey said. “Kacy has been playing really good golf the last three weeks and he did the same thing with that practice round.”
Fellow General Brown golfer Nate Heller finished four shots behind to place second while Lowville’s Dalton Myers was third with an 83. Lyme’s David Linstruth (84) and South Jefferson golfers Jonathan Babcock (85) and Shea Spencer (85) tied for fifth. Linstruth also won the Arnie O’Reilly Sportsmanship Award.
Watertown’s Jayden Romig (seventh) and Jillian Draper (10th), South Jefferson’s Liam Hobbs (eighth) and Blake Turner (ninth) rounded out the top 10. Draper will compete at the NYSPHSAA girls championships Sunday and Monday at McGregor Links Country Club in Wilton after winning the Section 3 individual title.
Lennox credited teammates like Heller, Nate Snow and others for challenging him and raising his game. The Lions finished second as a team in the Northern qualifier thanks to their sold lineup.
“It’s always a great competition with the first four kids in the lineup,” Covey said.
Watertown took the “A” Division six-person team title while South Jefferson, which had every golfer on its six-man team shoot a 95 or less, took the “B” title. Sandy Creek won the team crown in the “C” Division and Alexandria was first in the “D” Division.
Golfers had to deal with very warm conditions as temperatures lingered in the mid-to-upper 80s for most of the day.
“I was drenched in sweat since hole number two,” Lennox said. “The club was getting a little slippery and it definitely takes a toll on you and makes you tired, which slows down your swing.”
Scores were high also due to some of the younger golfers being unfamiliar with the course. That and the heat made for a tough day for scoring. Despite this, coaches and golfers were glad to be back at a league tournament.
“The kids look forward to this every year going up to the TI Club and playing 18 holes,” Covey said.
The victory serves as the perfect cap to Lennox’s high school career. He’s been a member of the varsity golf team since seventh grade.
“Winning this title was what I was setting out do to at the beginning of the season,” Lennox said. “It’s a nice way to end everything.”
