The Bentonville Tigers and Little Rock Catholic Rockets both fired team totals of 295 on Monday to share the lead after Day 1 of the Bill Agler Invitational at Lost Springs Golf and Athletic Club in Rogers. That score put them five strokes ahead of Fayetteville, who came in third at 300, with the rest of the field trailing behind.
The Bill Agler Invitational is a notable early-season boys golf tournament featuring some of Arkansas’s top prep programs. Teams from Fayetteville, Cabot, Jonesboro, Shiloh Christian, Rogers, and additional squads from Fayetteville and Rogers rounded out the leaderboard. After an intense round at Lost Springs, play will shift Tuesday morning to Paradise Valley Athletic Club in Fayetteville.
Individually, Little Rock Catholic’s Jack Denery set the tone with a 6-under-par 66, earning the Day 1 medalist honor. Denery’s score gives the Rockets a significant boost in their bid to contend for the championship over the two-day event. Close behind was Cabot’s Clayton Thompson with a 68, while Fayetteville’s Toby Kim posted a solid 71 to hold third place individually after the first round.
Bentonville’s strong showing was not just in the team standings. Their players are spread throughout the top positions, with Parker Canode matching Jonesboro’s Easton Huffstetler at 72 for fourth place. Jack Bennett of Bentonville and Fayetteville’s Calvin Jackson were both at 73, tying for sixth.
Further down the leaderboard, Fayetteville’s Nash Wasemiller stood eighth at 74, while Bentonville’s Greyson Perna and Blake Hunter also contributed steady rounds, keeping their team well positioned for Tuesday’s play.
As the host city, Rogers placed seventh with a 320, while Rogers’ second team was at 361. The depth of talent across teams highlights the competitiveness of Arkansas prep golf this fall.
Lost Springs Golf and Athletic Club’s challenging layout, tested by varying wind and tree-lined fairways, offered a stern test for the young golfers Monday. The transition Tuesday to Paradise Valley Athletic Club, known for its tight greens and strategic hazards, adds another layer of difficulty that could shift the leaderboard by the tournament’s conclusion.
With Bentonville and Little Rock Catholic carrying shared momentum, both squads will look to leverage their strong starts as they continue to compete for the Bill Agler Invitational title. Fayetteville and Cabot, though trailing, remain well within striking distance and could shake things up over the final 18 holes.
Source: NWA Democrat Gazette
