The key for Aaron Jones' golf game is simply consistency.
The Siloam Springs senior golfer will lead the Panthers into the Class 6A State Boys Golf Tournament on Monday and Tuesday at Searcy Country Club, and his team needs him to be on top of his game if they want to finish among the top teams.
"If we're going to have a chance to make some noise at state, Aaron knows he's got to be somewhere around the par-line, or even two to three over, somewhere in that general area for us to have a chance," said Siloam Springs head coach Michael Robertson.
Jones is the only senior for the Panthers and leads the team with a nine-hole average of 38.5. That translates to a 77 average on 18 holes, just a few strokes away from even par.
Jones has shown the ability to dip below par over the course of this season. He shot a 71 on the second day of the Bomber Invitational at Mountain Home and shot 67 at the Creeks in Cave Springs. He carded a 32 in a nine-hole match at Siloam Springs Country Club as well.
"Aaron has as much natural ability as any player we've ever had," Robertson said. "Maybe in some ways more than some. He hits it a long ways. When he has the short game rolling, he can go as low as anybody. The key is just consistency."
Jones has been a four-year varsity starter for the Panthers and will be playing in his fourth state tournament. But Jones is a completely different player than he was the previous three years.
He's grown taller and now stands around 6-foot-1 and weighs 160 pounds -- a far cry from when he was a freshman when he stood 5-foot-6 and maybe weighed 100 pounds.
"My freshman and sophomore year, I was a good player, but I wasn't as good as I could be, especially in tournament," Jones said. "I was really good in practice, but my mind game wasn't as good.
"As a junior and senior it's been a lot better."
Jones said his iron distance and accuracy are a strength, but he admits he needs to work on the green a little more.
"My mental game's not too bad," he said. "It can always get better."
Jones said he played a lot of golf during the summer but hasn't gotten to spend as much time playing recently.
"I haven't been able to practice and really work on my swing as much as I would like to," Jones said. That's why I'm kind of well-under par and a few over par. Not as consistent as I'd like to be, but I'll get there."
Jones will be joined at state by juniors Cody Beyer and Noah Karp and freshmen Karson Clement and Chase Beyer.
The tournament begins Monday morning, and the top teams and individuals will advance to Tuesday's final round.
Robertson said the Panthers have high expectations after finishing third in the state last year behind five-time defending champion Jonesboro and runner-up Searcy.
"We're not just going down there to show up and miss three days of school," he said. "We're going down there to play really well and put ourselves in contention in that second day."
Sports on 10/04/2015