Middlesex High School freshman Peyton Lambert recently competed in the Virginia High School League Class 1 State Golf Tournament at the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech in Radford. Lambert qualified during the regional golf competition where MHS finished 4th as a team but his score of 82 qualified him for the state tournament along with two other golfers from Rappahannock High School.
Lambert and head golf coach Greg Harrow left in the early morning hours to take the 5-hour trip to the course on Monday, October 14, for a pre-tournament practice round. “The course was beautiful and in great shape but played nothing like we were used to,” said Harrow. “The bent-grass fairways and greens were aggressive and firm and Peyton was having some difficulty learning how to approach the greens. After about 6 holes he began to get accustomed to them and by the end of the round he was looking pretty confident!”
As the Class 2 tournament was wrapping up in front of the Class 1 practice round, Lambert and Harrow kept their eyes on a fellow competitor, Taylor Hubbard from King William, as he completed his round. “Taylor is a senior at King William and he is an excellent golfer,” noted Harrow. “He typically shoots just under par at area golf courses and he finished even to earn a tie-break birth with two other Class 2 golfers.” On the first playoff hole Taylor birdied while the other two parred and he won the 2019 VHSL Class 2 State Tournament as the lowest individual round. “It was awesome to see him get the win,” stated Harrow. “He is not only a great golfer but also a genuine young man. It was well deserved!”
Lambert finished with an 88 and he finished 14th overall in the state tournament. “His score certainly does not represent how well he played,” said Harrow. “He hit the ball extremely well and played his heart out! To finish 14th, as a freshman, at a course you have only seen once, out of 58 other golfers, is incredible. I know he will continue to grow and improve and I look forward to seeing him develop. The rumor has it that the state tournament will be out there at the same course again next year and so I am excited to see how he improves!”
