It’s been more than a month since the Bowie boy’s golf team punched their ticket to state with a third place finish at regionals, but the team is finally heading to Austin to play early next week.
The Jackrabbits will play on May 22-23 at the Jimmy Clay Golf Course competing against the best in the state in 3A.
It is the second time Bowie is heading to the state meet in the last three years, having gone for possibly the first time in program history in 2021 where the team finished sixth. Coach Matthew Miller explained the team was happy to be there and did not have as good a shot at winning.
Two players on this year’s team were on that team as freshman and have state experience, Cy Egenbacher and Andrew Sandhoff. The rest of the team (Zac Harris, Hunter Lea, and Rayder Mann) will be playing at state for the first time.
The young team features no seniors and a loose, goofy atmosphere according to Miller which might help them on the lead up though he expects normal nerves from his team.
The Jimmy Clay Golf course is a par 72, plays 6,918 yards and is described as having traditional tree-lined fairways and elevated open greens.
Miller was planning to play it himself to get a feel for it before his team, but with the recent birth of twin daughters he has not had the time.
The course has been described by his contacts in the know as having nine holes with narrow fairways, where a slightly inaccurate tee shot can spell doom. The other nine holes are then described as more wide open, where aggressive players can take chances to swing for the greens.
All teams are allowed one practice round on the course before the state tournament starts. The Bowie team is scheduled to have a sendoff at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday so they can get a practice round in later that day.
No matter the course, Miller is confident his team has played in tougher conditions and courses.
“I’d be willing to guess the golf course we played at the regional tournament, nobody else in the state played that golf course or anything that hard,” Miller said. “Ours was difficult and then the wind started blowing 30, 40 miles an hour and it made it that much harder.”

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.