Greenwood High School golf has steadily built momentum throughout the 2026 season, with Head Coach Tyler Woods guiding the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs through a demanding schedule that has included the courses at Ben Geren, Eagle Crest, Hot Springs Country Club, Chamberlyne Country Club, Big Creek Country Club and, most recently, the state tournament at Searcy Country Club where the Lady Bulldogs did themselves proud.
The season has produced team victories, medalist honors, personal-best rounds, another Ryder Cup trophy, All-Conference and All-State selections, and now a Class 5A state runner-up trophy for the Lady Bulldogs. The Greenwood girls finished one stroke behind the eventual state champion Lady Cyclones of Russellville, also of the 5A West conference, along with Greenwood. The Russellville girls have now won the state title four years running. See more details of the state tournament near the end of this article.
Battling the late summer heat
Greenwood’s late-August stretch began on the 24th with a dual match against Van Buren at Ben Geren in Fort Smith. Both Greenwood teams came away with victories in the sweltering heat of an unusually hot summer, even for Arkansas.
Payton Crowe was the girls’ medalist with an 80. Ellery Hogeland followed with an 81, while Cali Coatney shot 92. On the boys side, Ames Middleton fired a 77 and then won a playoff to claim overall medalist honors. Carter Koch and Ryan Ross each shot 78, while Carson Wade finished with an 80.
Two days later, on the 26th, Greenwood returned to Ben Geren for a five-team match with several other conference teams. The Lady Bulldogs again came out on top behind Hogeland, who shot an 80 to earn overall medalist honors. Crowe followed with an 85, Coatney shot 89 and Zoe Lamb finished with a 96.
The Bulldogs placed second behind Shiloh Christian. Middleton led Greenwood with a 75, followed by Ross at 79 and Ozzie Rogers at 80. Rogers’ round included an impressive recovery after taking a quadruple bogey. Truett Embree added an 82, while Koch shot 86.
New month sees more solid play
The changing of the calendar did little to mitigate the heat, which persisted into the first couple weeks of September. Greenwood returned to action September 2nd at Eagle Crest in Alma, and both teams came away with runner-up finishes. The Lady Bulldogs posted a team score of 257, finishing 10 strokes behind Russellville. Hogeland again paced Greenwood with a 77, while Crowe shot 81. Lamb finished at 99 and Coatney at 110.
The Bulldogs turned in what was then their best team score of the season, shooting 303 and finishing just two strokes behind Alma. Wade and Koch each fired 73s, putting both in a five-way tie for medalist honors. Middleton followed with a 77, Ross shot 80 and Rogers finished at 81. Cooper Holland added an 87.
The following day brought a long road trip to Hot Springs Country Club, where Greenwood faced Lake Hamilton and Lakeside high schools. Crowe produced another strong round, shooting 77 to earn medalist honors, while Hogeland finished one stroke behind at 78. On the boys side, Beau Bartlett led Greenwood with an 82. Koch shot 85, Middleton 86, Rogers 89 and Clay Anzalone 91.
Greenwood returned to Eagle Crest on September 9th, where several Bulldogs turned in some of their strongest golf of the season. Koch recorded a personal-best 72 and closed his round with nine consecutive pars. Middleton also set a personal best with a 74, while Rogers returned to the 70s with a 76. Greenwood combined for a 305 and again finished second. The Lady Bulldogs picked up another victory, defeating Van Buren behind a 75 from Hogeland and an 81 from Crowe.
Greenwood retains Ryder Cup trophy
A day later, Greenwood added another Ryder Cup trophy to the program’s collection. The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs defeated Southside 14.5 to 5.5 at Ben Geren to retain the Ryder Cup for a third consecutive year. The competition followed an alternate-shot match-play format. Middleton, Ross and Rogers earned victories for the Greenwood boys, while the Lady Bulldogs completed a sweep behind wins from Hogeland, Crowe, Coatney, and Lamb.
The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs continued their strong play Sept. 17 at Chamberlyne Country Club in Danville. Koch captured overall medalist honors after shooting a 75 from the blue tees. Rogers and Ross each carded 78s, while Holland provided Greenwood’s fourth score with an 84. Hogeland led the Greenwood girls with a 77, Crowe shot 79, Coatney finished with an 87 and Lamb shot 97.
Lady Bulldogs fall just short of conference crown
That set the stage for the 5A West Conference Tournament on September 22nd at Big Creek Country Club in Mountain Home. The Lady Bulldogs came agonizingly close to a league championship, finishing only two strokes behind defending state champion Russellville, 255-257.
Crowe shot a 77 and finished second individually, while Hogeland fired a 79 to place third. Lamb supplied Greenwood’s third counting score with a 101. Crowe, Hogeland and Lamb all earned All-Conference honors, and the team’s runner-up finish sent Greenwood to the Class 5A state tournament.
The Bulldogs had a much more difficult day. After playing well for much of the season, Greenwood finished fourth as a team. Wade led the Bulldogs with an 83, Middleton shot 85, Ross 88, Koch 92 and Rogers 93. Woods said the finish was difficult because the scores did not reflect the kind of golf his boys had played throughout much of the season.
“The course was playing really long,” the coach explained. “It was tough, but we just didn’t have our best stuff.” The nature of the sport made the result even tougher to swallow. Koch had been near par several times during the season, while Rogers had shot a 78 only a week before conference. “But that’s golf,” said Woods. “It doesn’t matter what you do all year. It matters what you do that one day.”
Middleton made sure his season would continue. He survived a three-player, two-hole playoff, making par on both holes to secure one of the individual qualifying spots for state. Woods said Middleton’s performance was representative of the consistency he showed throughout the year. “I was proud of Ames,” Woods said. “He played really consistent all year, and he was really one of our better players.”
Wade also earned an individual state berth through his conference finish but has since elected not to compete. That leaves Middleton as Greenwood’s lone representative at the boys state tournament at Pine Bluff Country Club on October 7th.
Lady Bulldogs miss state championship by one stroke
The biggest moment of Greenwood’s season came earlier this week on September 29th at Searcy Country Club. The Lady Bulldogs entered the Class 5A State Tournament believing they had a legitimate opportunity to contend for the championship, and they did exactly that. But when the final scores were tallied, Greenwood fell short of the state title by a single stroke. The Lady Bulldogs came home as Class 5A state runners-up behind first place Russellville.
Woods said the result was heartbreaking, but it also showed how far the group had progressed. Before the season, he believed Greenwood would need a couple of rounds in the 70s and another score near 90 to have a chance to contend. That is essentially what the Lady Bulldogs delivered at state.
Hogeland battled through a difficult start and made one of the strongest turnarounds of the tournament. After playing her first nine holes at five-over par, she went one-under over the final nine to finish with a 75. That placed Hogeland second overall. Crowe was close behind with a 79, highlighted by an eagle on the 11th hole and a birdie on No. 13. She finished third individually. Both Hogeland and Crowe earned All-State honors.
Coatney continued her season-long improvement with a 90, while Lamb completed her Greenwood career with a 96. For Lamb, the state tournament represented the end of a remarkable first year in competitive high school golf. She has been playing golf for only about 10 months. “She competed hard all year,” Woods said. “She’s our only varsity senior, and she probably improved 20 to 25 strokes throughout the year.” Woods said Lamb loves the game and is even considering the possibility of continuing to play golf in college.
Coatney also made a significant jump during the season, improving by roughly 10 strokes. But much of Greenwood’s rise has been built around Hogeland and Crowe. Both earned All-State recognition as freshmen in 2025, but Woods said their games have taken another noticeable step forward. A year ago, both regularly played in the low-to-mid 80s. This season, they became consistent players in the 70s. “They’ve cracked into the 70s, and they’re pretty consistent,” Woods said. “I’m proud of them for all the hard work they put in.”
Hogeland, Crowe Earn Another Opportunity
But the golf season is not finished yet for Greenwood’s top two girls. By finishing among the top three individuals in Class 5A, Hogeland and Crowe earned invitations to the Arkansas overall tournament on October 22nd at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock. Only the top three players from each classification receive invitations, giving the Greenwood sophomores an opportunity to compete against many of the best high school golfers in Arkansas regardless of classification.
For Woods, it is another reward for two players who have become the foundation of a young Greenwood team. And youth may be the most encouraging part of the Lady Bulldogs’ future. Greenwood’s top three players – Hogeland, Crowe and Coatney – are all sophomores and will return for two more seasons. “They came so close this year,” Woods said. “They don’t have to improve a whole lot to be right there.”
Bulldogs also have plenty returning
Greenwood will lose Wade from the boys lineup, but Woods also sees plenty of reason for optimism. Koch, Rogers, Middleton and Ross have all played significant varsity golf and are expected to return. Younger players such as Embree, Bartlett, Holland and Anzalone will also have opportunities to compete for larger roles. Embree, only a freshman this season, already produced rounds in the low-to-mid 80s.
Coach Woods expects competition for spots in the top five to be strong going into next season. The program will return to work quickly, with offseason evaluation and tryout opportunities helping determine who is ready to make the next step. That competition should benefit both Greenwood programs. Woods said the first tryouts could be as soon as the end of October or early November with still more tryouts next spring.
The Bulldogs experienced the frustration of having one difficult day erase an otherwise strong season, while the Lady Bulldogs learned just how narrow the difference can be between second place and a state championship.
For Greenwood’s girls, that difference was one stroke. For a young roster that returns nearly every major contributor, that may become one of the strongest motivations of all. The only problem is that Russellville also returns its top three golfers for two more seasons. “We’re going to compete again for the next two years,” Woods said. “It just depends on who’s going to outwork who and who wants it more.”
The 2026 season has already given Greenwood plenty to celebrate: another Ryder Cup championship, multiple medalists, All-Conference honors, two All-State golfers, a boys state qualifier, and a Lady Bulldogs team that came within one swing of winning it all.
Middleton still has his opportunity at Pine Bluff, and Hogeland and Crowe will eventually take their games to Pleasant Valley. But whatever happens in those final events, Greenwood’s season has already established something important. The Bulldogs still have pieces to build around. The Lady Bulldogs know they can contend for a state championship. And after coming within a single stroke this fall, they will not have to wonder how close they are anymore.