Bishops win AA golf title

GRAMLING — The wind let up for the second round of the Class AA state golf championship tournament at Village Greens Country Club.

Bishop England did not.

The Bishops handled the blustery conditions best on Monday and did well enough in much more benign weather Tuesday to win their second state title in three years.

Bishop England finished with a 619 total — after a second-round 308 — for a comfortable 10-shot victory.

Waccamaw had the low second-round score (299) and finished as the overall runner-up (629). Central was third.

"It's fabulous. We have goose bumps right now," Bishop England coach Chris Cusack said. "We always like to feel we're in contention, but you still have to work for every shot, play every hole and hope for the best."

Buford's Trevor Banks was the individual state champion with a 36-hole total of 148.

Broome's Tyler Comer, who led after the first round, finished a stroke behind after rounds of 72-77. Comer and Bishop England's Zach Grossman each posted a 149 total. They had a playoff to determine the runner-up, and Comer prevailed with a birdie on the first hole.

Cusack's team had never seen the course before Sunday. They made the four-hour trip from Charleston, hung tough in trying conditions Monday, and finished it off with a steady showing Tuesday.

"Our guys did a fabulous job. They played smart and didn't try to hit the ball long," Cusack said. "They kept it in the fairways and did their job. "It's great to bring (the title) back home again."

Charles Balluzo shot a 155 for the Bishops, and Sam Keane had a 156. Pete Porter and Andrew Williams both carded 161s.