LUMBERTON — Silas Woods knew what he was getting himself into as the lone freshman on the Purnell Swett golf team this season.
But it didn’t take long for Woods, the youngest and smallest golfer on the team, to earn the respect of his teammates — which includes his brother Malachi.
Dakota Locklear, one of three juniors on the team, made that clear as the team practiced Thursday at Pinecrest Country Club.
“He’s the best one on the team,” Locklear yelled, pointing at Silas.
Silas shook it off between chip shots.
“It’s hard sometimes. They talk the most junk,” said Silas, one of five Rams set to compete in the NCHSAA 4-A regionals on Monday at Anderson Creek.
“We’re real competitive, trying to beat each other every day. But it’s a great program to be a part of — it’s a blessing.”
It’s a bond that each of the five golfers have shared since starting their journey with Rams coach Jamie Locklear at his junior academy.
“We’ve all been together for about six years now,” said Kajun Hunt, the lone sophomore on the squad. “I feel like we’re real close like brothers.”
Malachi added: “We all know the game. I think this is one of the strongest teams we’ve had. I’m looking forward to the experience (at regionals), playing other schools and the competition.”
And Jamie has noticed the togetherness among his latest crop of golfers.
“This group has a bond. They grew up together and they’ve played junior golf together. If they see a kid down after a bad round, they pick each other up,” he said. “They are very mature when it comes to picking each other up.”
But it doesn’t stop at how the team handles itself on the course. Dalance and Dakota Locklear said this group has the talent to make some noise at regionals.
“I think this team is more talented than we’ve had the last few years,” Dakota said.
Dalance added: “The team is playing better. We just want to go out and play our best. … see if we can make it to states.”
With three juniors, one sophomore and a freshman, the Rams secured a second-place finish in the Southeastern Conference this season to earn a spot in the state playoffs. It’s become somewhat of a tradition for Purnell Swett since Jamie took over the program.
And as the team prepares to play Anderson Creek, a Davis Love III designed course in Spring Lake, Jamie is expecting a good showing from his juniors.
“Dalance is playing very good,” he said. “Dakota and Kajun, experience-wise, have played in a lot of tournaments. They know what it takes to play tournament golf. That’s important because it’s different when you start seeing names on top of the board in a tournament setting.”
But like his older players, Jamie has also noticed Silas’ growth on the course since joining the team.
“He’s been very consistent with his scores throughout the season,” Jamie said. “He’s going to be big for us at Swett in the future. I feel like he can be the surprise at regionals. I’d love to see that happen.”
Silas said he expects to have a few more jokes thrown his way before the season ends, but there’s no doubt about his feelings when it comes to the team.
“No matter what, we stick together.”
