Benton junior Thomas Simpson medaled for the third straight match, but a consistent round by the Massac County Patriots gave them a 1-stroke win over the Rangers at Benton Country Club.
The Pats shot 150, Benton 151 and Pinckneyville 212 on the afternoon.
“We knew going in that it was going to be a one or two stroke match,” Benton golf coach Scott Simpson said. “It’s going to be the same today and tomorrow, too.
“Everybody made a mistake or two today and left a shot out there,” he added. “But a 151 is a good score ... we had three good scores, it just wasn’t enough.”
Thomas Simpson medaled for the third straight match, shooting 35 on the day.
“Thomas is just playing really well right now,” S. Simpson said. “And he missed five putts inside eight feet, so he could have really gone low today. He’s hitting the ball really well, he just didn’t putt well today.”
Simpson started his round with birdies on the first two holes. A bogey on No. 3 brought him back to 1-under and he shot par for the rest of his round.
T. Simpson was followed closely by Andrew Mitchell and Andrew Simpson. Mitchell shot 36, A. Simpson 37.
“Mitch just isn’t on his game right now and he still shoots 36,” S. Simpson said. “He bogeyed the first hole and then got a birdie on his second hole. And he birdied nine after a double on six ... so it was an up and down round for him.”
A. Simpson, a freshman, played his best match of the season for the Rangers.
“That was great,” S. Simpson said. “He played really well. He doesn’t get in a whole lot of trouble. He doubled three, which would have been his seventh hole, and he comes back to birdie his final hole.
“He knew we needed a score and he went out and had a good round.”
Jesse Sanders shot 43, Branden Hammonds 45 and Tyler Neal 52 to complete Benton’s scoring.
“We needed another 38, 39 or 40,” S. Simpson said. “The guys really felt bad after the match, they knew they let one get away. None of them like to lose, especially at home.”
Benton will have another tough match this afternoon at Murphysboro.
