This was more than an honor. It was more than a tournament. It was an experience to never be forgotten. It required long practices and determination to achieve this goal. From familiar Texarkana greens to the high altitudes of Phoenix, Ariz., the team encountered both exciting and challenging lessons on the golf course.

On Sept. 5, the golf team attended the Antigua National High School Golf Invitational. Teams from all over the country joined together to compete for the winning title. Putts were made and greens were studied as the players stepped up to the tee box.

“I was expecting a lot of competition,” senior Emma Edwards said. “I know we were all a little shaken up by the fact we were playing in such a big tournament.”

With high hopes and low scores, both the boys’ and girls’ golf teams set out to play their best and represent Texas High in their first tournament of the season. Barriers rose from different environments while the players prepared from the next two days.

“The greatest challenge while in Phoenix was adjusting to the altitude difference and knowing how far to hit my clubs,” junior Grayson Jones said. “We will take a lot of positive things away from this tournament.”

Both teams only lost one member the previous year, but they did not let this alter their ability to succeed. Each individual went into the tournament with a positive outlook and high spirits.

‘We really needed a fourth player that could score to bring the boys and girls total scores down and bump us up into a better place,” Edwards said. “It’s golf, we all have our bad days.”

As a result of this tough competition, the boys team finished in 4th place while the girls followed behind in 8th. Despite the loss, the Tiger Golf team aims to take the good and bad and work from there.

“It was a great learning experience,” Jones said. “My expectations were to win which we have the ability to do every time we tee it up.”