At the Class A state golf tournament that begins Monday, Oct. 3, you won’t be able to swing a 9-iron without hitting a Westmoreland.

Millington Central High School will be well-represented when the competition gets underway at Sevierville Golf Club as three members of the family will be bidding for state championships. Senior Andrew and junior Matthew are both at state for the third time while younger sister Ally, a freshman, qualified for her first shot at the gold.

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And while it’s not known if the feat is unique, it’s definitely special for the tight-knit Westmorelands, who moved to Millington from Savannah, Tennessee prior to the 2021 season when their father, Derek, took a job at as senior pastor at First Baptist Church.

“I think it’s pretty exciting to know that my senior year, I’ll have my brother and sister playing as well,” said Andrew, who will play his college golf at Union University.

Added Matthew, “It’s going to be a lot of fun, all three of us playing together. I’m glad Ally gets to go this year as a freshman ... it’s icing on the cake.”

Indeed Ally’s qualification was a nice bonus for the family. Andrew and Matthew were expected to advance from Region 8 and after finishing 12th and tied for seventh, respectively, at state in 2021. 

“It’s very thrilling,” said Trojans head golf coach Bruce Marshall. “One of the biggest things this year was Ally joining us. And seeing (the boys) grow both mentally and physically. They were good a year ago but they’re so much better now. They’ve prepared themselves for this moment.”

While they’re both still on the thin side, Marshall said the boys have both added about 25 pounds of muscle since last season, which obviously helps with both distance and mechanics. The natural maturation that comes with a little more age and a little more experience has also been invaluable.

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Both boys picked up the game competitively at around the age of 12, setting aside travel baseball to focus on the sport their dad played collegiately — also at Union. They’re both seasoned competitors but in golf, you never really stop learning and the development Marshall spoke about will serve them well on a rugged River Course of 6,539 yards. 

“I think I was good mechanically from the start but I had to learn how to handle the bad side,” said Andrew, who played his first competitive tournament at the age of 12. “Learn how to keep my composure through the round.”

Said Matthew, “Dad kind of taught us all we needed to know. A lot of golf is really mental and for me, it kind of hit when I was 15. I started learning how to think on the course, how to hit different shots. How to get around (better).”

Ally also came to golf from other sports and said it was natural to follow along in her brothers’ footsteps. The girls will compete on a different course at state — the neighboring Highland course — and she said being able to pick the boys’ brains for advice has been helpful. 

“I just kind of followed along after watching (their father) teach them,” she said. “I just tried it and kept going with it.”

Said Marshall, “One of her friends decided to play and I think that kind of helped bring in her to play which I was excited about. I knew she could play. With the scores from the previous regions, I knew there was a chance she could get in there.”

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The competition in the girls tournament will be fierce with last year’s champion (Sophie Linder of Gordonsville) and runner-up (Karlie Campbell of Summertown) both returning. Given their past experience and fine play in the region tournament though, Marshall thinks Andrew and Matthew could well be in the mix on the boys side.

“That’s a big plus for them since they played the course last year,” he said. “I’ve looked on the tee sheet and there are several people who haven’t been there before and it’s an imposing course. You look out there and it’s like ‘man, that’s a long way.’ And it’s not a lot of room.”

Regardless of what happens, however, it will be a memorable experience for the siblings, who have brought so much to their school’s program since arriving. Especially so for Andrew, who will be playing in his last high school tournament.

“I want to say ‘thank you’ to coach Bruce,” he said. “The last two years have been fun. Make sure you get in there.”

Previewing: TSSAA state golf tournaments

Where: Sevierville Golf Club (boys will play on the River Course and girls will play on the Highland Course).

Schedule: Class A and Division 2-A tournaments will be Monday and Tuesday; Class AA and Division 2-AA tournaments will be Thursday and Friday. Play begins each day at 8 a.m.

Top storylines: No player will enter the competition with more momentum than Anna Heck.

The St. Agnes senior — who will play her college golf at Notre Dame — shot a lights-out 7-under 65 at the Greens of Irene last week to win the region tournament. Heck will be joining to bid her older sisters Abby and Rachel as state champs in the larger of the two private school divisions and she’ll be relied upon heavily as coach Cynthia Giannini’s Stars look to win their 11th state title and first since 2019.

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Hutchison’s Morgan Simmons was just three shots back of Heck at the region and will compete for the individual title as well. Hutchison’s brother school, MUS, was outstanding at the boys region tournament at Windyke; the Owls finished 4-under as a team with champion Cooper Solberg, Clarence Chapman and R.J. Neal all finishing in the red. Coach Cliff Frisby’s Owls have won 13 state titles in all, the last in 2018.

Keep an eye also on Hana Barber of St. Mary’s, who tied for third in 2021 along with Heck and two others at 7-over 140.

In Class AA, region champion Kaiser Godinez will lead a strong Collierville team while Sophie Christopher and Houston figure to be in the mix on the girls side.

Local competitors

Class A boys: Andrew Westmoreland (Millington); Matthew Westmoreland (Millington).

Class A girls: Ally Westmoreland (Millington).

Division 2-A boys: Parker Tenent (Westminster).

Division 2-A girls: Camille Burnette (Fayette Academy); Claire Todd (ECS).

Class AA boys: Alex Commons (Houston); Micah Commons (Houston); Andersen House (Bartlett); Collierville team (William Kramer; Nathan London; Chance Elston; Jackson Whaley; Kaiser Godinez).

Class AA girls: Alijah Griffin (Bartlett); Ella Penke (Collierville); Houston team (Sophie Christopher; Elizabeth Kellum; Erin McDonald).

Division 2-AA boys: Hil Thompson (CBHS); Jack Clarke (CBHS); Briarcrest team (Phillip Johns; Hogan O’Keefe; Cole Koslo; Hudson Farnsworth; George O’Keefe); MUS team (Wils Moore; Brantley Moore; R.J. Neal; Clarence Chapman; Cooper Solberg).

Division 2-AA girls: Hana Barber (St. Mary’s); Claire Hollingsworth (St. Benedict); Hutchison team (Morgan Simmons; Arabella Hall; Berklee Scifres); St. Agnes team (Anna Heck; Grace Denegri; Sarah Hooten).