On the 28th of September, a two-man golf team from John I. Burton participated in the district golf tournament in Scott County, Virginia. It was there, that they faced off against the golf teams of Thomas Walker, Rye Cove, Twin Springs, Castlewood, and Eastside high schools. In the end, however, only two teams and a handful of individuals qualified for regions. Matthew Gilliam, a senior from Burton, was one of the lucky few.
Matthew began his journey into the world of high school golf during his ninth grade year when he decided to join the school golf team. He has played on the team all throughout his high school career. This year, the team only had two members to compete in the district tournament: Matthew Gilliam and Dylan Dockery. Before tournaments, the team would go out to practice on the golf course at the Lonesome Pine Country Club, of which Matthew says is his favorite place to practice. It was at that very same golf course where he spent most of his time practicing his driver shots, which is where golfers use their longest club to hit the ball the farthest. He would also practice his putting for the tournament.
The tournament divided each team into four groups, two of those groups started, or teed off, on hole 1 and then played the 9-holed course twice to get a full 18 holes. The other two groups started at hole 4, and once the victors were decided for those matches, they played each other for the chance to win the tournament. Burton did not win the tournament, but Matthew qualified for the tournament because he was able to make at or above a certain score. His score was 103.
Matthew Gilliam commented on golf saying, " Golfing is a fun sport, but it can be stressful, especially when you are not playing very well." His advice for anyone who wants to join the golf team next year is: "Practice hard in the summer. You can always quit if you don't like it, but Coach Smith will help you if you stick with it." This is the 4th year Matthew has qualified for the regional tournament, but he has never made it to the state tournament. He hopes to make it to state this year, which is his senior year. Good luck in the upcoming tournament, Matthew!
Written by: Cody Messer