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Double crown

Coughlin, Fishel lead CAK golf girls to Div II-A state title; White is boys TN #1

October 23, 2024 by Staff Reports

SEVIERVILLE — Junior Isabella Coughlin and senior Alexis Fishel were in command almost from the start, leading the TSSAA Division II-A Golf Tournament at Sevierville Golf Club by 10 strokes after 18 hole.s

It turned out to be a seven -stroke CAK victory (7 over par 287 versus runner-up Boyd-Buchanan’s 294), marking the program’s fourth state crown all-time and first since 2016, after 36 holes Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 8.

Led by Coughlin, top scorer who placed third individually with a 140 (even par, 67-73), and Fishel, who finished seventh individually (147), “They’re very skilled, they controlled their golf ball really well and they have a lot of experience,” CAK head coach Donnie Cooper said. “We played really well the first day. And the second day, it was a little tougher, a little colder. Then we had a little bit of wind, and it played a little tough. Honestly, I was pretty relieved to get through that final hole because it was a pretty stressful hole the second day — but relative to the scores, we played really good the second day, too.”

Coughlin said one of her main goals was “to try and take advantage of the pretty easy par 5’s. And there are a couple of short par 4’s where I just had to wedge in, so just trying to get it close and seeing if I could make a put, which really helped.”

The junior said she and Fishel used “our mental game” to “stay focused, even after the first day (and a big lead) and not losing sight that we still have tomorrow and anything can happen — not losing focus. I think that really helped us, encouraging each other.”

About the joy of being a state champ, “It meant a lot being able to end up winning with her on her senior year, because it’s been a great journey with her through our years of high school,” Coughlin said of Fishel, “And it was nice to top it all off with the state championship win.”



Going from two strokes down entering No. 14, to two strokes ahead after completing No. 15 on the final day of the state competition, Bryson White learned from a sour experience one year earlier and made clutch putts down the stretch before hanging on to win the boys Division II-A golf crown by a nose.

The Christian Academy of Knoxville senior shot 4-under par (69-71—140) to edge Brady Ray of Battle Ground Academy by one stroke after 36 holes at Sevierville Golf Club ending Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 8.

That’s despite a double bogie on No. 18 Tuesday after his tee shot found water.

“Bryson’s story really starts last year in the final round of the state tournament,” CAK head coach Donnie Cooper said. “He didn’t play well at all. And I think that motivated him for an entire year. He’s one of the hardest working kids I’ve ever had and the most self-disciplined of any kid I’ve ever coached — and has a quiet confidence about him.”

“I was in contention last year after the first day, but didn’t really have a great second day,” White said about a still solid individual finish in 2023. “I didn’t get it done.”

But in 2024, “I was feeling pretty good about my game,” added the CAK senior, a Tennessee Tech commitment. “I knew I was hitting it good. I just needed to get the putter rolling a little bit. So I knew I could compete with them. I could compete with anybody out there.”

“He really played well on the back nine,” Cooper said. “I was really proud of Bryson.”

About the sudden turnaround on 14 and 15 on the final day, “I birdied 14 (a par four); I hit a pitching wedge to within about 4 feet and made birdie, and he bogeyed 14, which changed the momentum of just the whole tournament,” White said. “I birdied 15 right after that, and he bogeyed 15, which gave me a two-shot lead.

“... I think he led most of the day, actually, because I didn’t really make much birdies. I shot even on the front nine,” he added.

“No. 14 was a par 4 (about 400 yards). It’s a shorter one But it’s tight, so you’re going to lay up off the tee. I want to say I hit a 2 iron, maybe, in the fairway. It just left me about, maybe 130 something (yards).”

The clutch putt on 15 “was either 12 or 15 feet, somewhere around there,” White said.

“And then on 15 (about 310 yards), it was in the wind. The first day it was drivable. The second day it wasn’t,” he added. “So I hit it to about 20 yards short of the pin, maybe 30 yards short. The pin was in the back. I was like 10 yards short of the green and chipped it up. It did a great chip, actually.”

Playing alongside Ray and maintaining a two-shot lead heading to 18, “He bogeyed 18,” White said. “He actually teed off before me, and he hit it right in the road.”

Despite his own “water” tee shot at 18, White’s double bogie was still good enough for a state crown. “I knew on the green I had a good lead, and I knew if I three-putted it, I’d still win,” he said.

When first realizing he was a state champ, “I was just relieved to get through that final hole because it was a pretty stressful hole,” White said.

About the Sevierville course as a whole, “It’s tricky, actually, but I think it’s a great course for the state tournament,” White said.

The senior helped lead CAK to a third-place team finish. Warrior Tanner Varney, a sophomore, shot 144 (even par). Freshman Tyler Stafford finished 149 (5-over).