BENTON — Tuesday evening the Benton Rangers Golf team hosted Massac County, Carterville, and Pinckenyville in a Quad Meet. In a meet that was hotly contested, the Ranger rose above with the lowest team score in Southern Illinois this golf season and a record-breaking performance from star sophomore Cy Norman.
The Rangers improved to 11-0 on the 2020 season with a team score of 142 on Tuesday. Massac County finished second with a score of 169, Carterville slid in to third place with a score of 181, and Pinckneyville finished last with a score of 187.
“I couldn’t be more happy for this team right now,” says Benton Golf coach Reggie Norman. “We have been putting in a lot fo hard but smart practice in for a while. These guys started working on their own since the season ended last year and the scores are starting to show it.
“The new Flighscope Simulator room that we have here at Benton is showing to be a tremendous asset for the boys,” Norman added.
Of Benton’s six scorers, five finished with a score of 39 or better – a score that is normally good enough to medal at an event. But the score that impressed everyone was Cy Norman’s 30, which ended up being a new 9-hole match record. Just a sophomore but Norman has already medaled a total of 12 times in roughly a season and a half’s time.
“He’ll be the first to tell you shooting a 142 is more important that the 30,” says Reggie, Cy’s father. “However, we have a very strong golfing tradition here at Benton and nobody has ever done it. As a sophomore he now has the 0 hole match (30), 18 hole score (62), and 9 hole (28). He’s a tremendous talent and I love that I get to watch him continue to grow as a player.”
