COURTLAND—After finishing his season with a state tournament run, Southampton High School golfer Brandon Munford gives himself a “B.”

He wants to be able to give himself an “A” next season, but the 16-year-old junior said that was going to take some work.

“I just need to work on all parts of my game during the off season,” Munford said. “I played really good some days, but overall, I was just decent.

“I am pleased with the season, though.”

After averaging a 39 on 9-hole courses over the season, Munford finished fourth in the regional tournament with a score of 74 through 18 holes. At the state tournament, he finished 10th with a score of 74 through 18 holes.

The regional, which was played at Shenandoah Valley Golf Club, was a tough experience, he said, partially because of the weather.

“It was a pain in the butt, but everyone was playing in the same conditions, so I just kept my head down and didn’t give up,” Munford said. “I had 6 birdies that day — I just played smart and took chances where I needed to to help me finish strong.”

Munford said he was a little inconsistent at the state tournament, which was held at Heritage Oaks Country Club in Harrisonburg on Oct. 14-15.

“At the end of the first day, I was in a good position to win it,” said Munford. “On the second day, I just started out awful, but I finished strong to come in 10th.

“I was pleased with that, but I would have liked to do better. There is a lot of work to be done.”

Coach William Whitehurst said Munford’s game peaked at the right time.

“Brandon had an excellent season,” he said. “His game peaked when it counts the most, going into the post season.”

Whitehurst said he was especially proud of how Brandon played in the state tournament.

“He started off rough on that second day, missing some three-foot puts that he’d normally make,” Whitehurst said. “A lot of young golfers would have just chalked that up to a learning experience, but he dug deep over the final 12 holes and shot under par to bring it back in. He dug in and grinded out a round and posted a good score.”

Munford has been playing golf since he was 12. He signed up for golf camp over the summer.

“It was really just something to occupy my time that summer,” he said. “It was just fun to play.”

Because he enjoyed playing golf, he decided to join the Southampton golf team his freshman year.

“I had four seniors help me out that year,” he said. “They helped me get where I am today.”

In his spare time, Munford enjoys hanging out with his friends and doing the normal teenager stuff. He works at the golf course, as well.

He wants to play golf at the university level, but he has yet to decide where he wants to go to school.

Over the summer, he just wants to “keep working on my golf game, and get better. I also want to get everything figured out for college.”

As far as next season, Munford wants to shave a few strokes off of his average, and also, “I want to help the younger golfers on the team get better, like the seniors who helped me.”

“He is a good kid,” added Whitehurst. “He plays golf every day. Like me, he’s obsessed with it. I expect him to close as a scratch golfer (playing for par) next year. I think he is capable of that, going into his senior year — we are looking forward to a good season to end his career here.”