Henry Shimp, Myers Park claim PNG High School Invitational titles
Myers Park coach Jason Lockwood wasn’t counting on taking home the trophy from Mecklenburg County’s unofficial high school boys golf championships.
Thanks to Henry Shimp, the Mustangs did so anyway, winning team honors Monday at the Piedmont Natural Gas High School Invitational tournament at Pine Island Country Club.
Behind Shimp’s 3-under-par 68, Myers Park edged Hough by three strokes (295-298) to claim the team championship for the first time in the three-year-old tournament.
Charlotte Christian was third at 300, followed by Providence (305) and Providence Day (307). Defending tournament champion Charlotte Country Day tied for seventh with Charlotte Catholic (314).
“I expected we were going to come in a little behind,” Lockwood said. “We didn’t play as well as we could. Some of our guys struggled but hung in there. But Henry really battled for us. He’s done well at this course before.
“He’s been improving ever since he’s come to Myers Park. He works hard in the offseason, and in the summer plays in a lot of tournaments. If we don’t practice or have a match or tournament, he’s out there on his own. He puts a lot of work in, and it’s paying off for him.”
Shimp was the only player among the 74 players entered to shoot under par Monday on the par-71 Pine Island course, whose greens had been worked on the week before the tournament and were still bumpy.
Still, Shimp – who tied for ninth at last year’s NCHSAA 4A state tournament – overcame the bumpy greens to take medalist honors for the second straight year. He finished three strokes ahead of teammate Walker Simas and Hough’s Matt Sharpstein, both shooting even-par 71s.
“I’ve been pretty confident in my game lately, so I thought I could go out and play well,” said Shimp, who recently qualified (with Myers Park teammate Nolan Mills) for the inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championships in San Francisco.
“My putting was definitely a little shaky to start, and the whole round in general. I was just hoping to hit some shots that were good enough to give me some putts I knew I could make. For the most part, it turned out pretty smooth.”
This story was originally published March 30, 2015 at 9:21 PM with the headline "Henry Shimp, Myers Park claim PNG High School Invitational titles."