Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 9/29/16. East Hamilton's Tyson Venable competes in the Region 3-AAA high school golf tournament on The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay course Thursday, September 29, 2016. 
Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 9/29/16. Cleveland's Rheagan Hall competes in the Region 3-AAA high school golf tournament on The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay course Thursday, September 29, 2016. TSSAA CLASS AAA STATE GOLF TOURNAMENT
At WillowBrook at Manchester Area players' Tuesday tee times (EDT) Boys, No. 1: 9 a.m. - Jackson Essenburg (Walker Valley); 9:10 - Colton Humbard (WV); 9:20 - Parker Gray (WV); 9:30 - Cade Puryear (WV); 9:40 - Nick McCracken (WV). No. 10: 9:40 - Allen Swetman (Cleveland); 10 - Tyson Venable (East Hamilton). Girls, No. 1: 11:10 a.m. - Olivia Williams (Bradley Central); 11:20 - Blaire Terrell (BC); 11:30 - Mckenzie Randolph (BC). No. 10: 10:20 - Rheagan Hall (Cleveland); 10:30 - Jayla Sims (Soddy-Daisy), Madalyn Hembree (East Hamilton); 11:10 - Kelsey Cassada (Walker Valley).
The field in the TSSAA Class AAA golf tournament Tuesday and Wednesday includes both individual medalists from the District 5 tournament. But just barely.
East Hamilton senior Tyson Venable secured his spot by adding the Region 3 individual title to his other championship. Both tournaments were at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay. Venable shot 1-under-par 71 in the district and even-par in the region.
Conversely, Walker Valley senior Kelsey Cassada totaled 12 more strokes in her region round than in the district. She not only needed to win in a playoff to gain the last girls' individual spot from Region 3 but was fortunate to be in it.
The playoff wouldn't have taken place if not for Cumberland County golfer Kelsee Neely, who shot 79, giving up her state-tournament berth at WillowBrook in Manchester because months ago her family had planned a vacation to the Bahamas during her fall break.
Making the situation even stranger, the playoff was against a fellow Lady Mustang, junior Whitney Kincaid.
"When they were done with the playoff, they gave each other a big hug," Walker Valley coach Bob Williams said. "It was tough seeing it come down against teammates. As far as Whitney, the biggest thing for her is that she's got another year."
Cassada is a long hitter who shot 71 in winning the district tournament.
"I think she has the opportunity for a top 10," Williams said of Cassada's chances in the state tournament. "She's very capable of doing that, if her driver is going good."
Among the other individuals from southeast Tennessee in the tournament is the girls' Region 3 medalist, Cleveland junior Rheagan Hall. She was also a winner this year at the City Prep.
Walker Valley's boys are the only area team advancing to the state tournament.
The Mustangs have a solid core group in Parker Gray, Cade Puryear and Nick McCracken. They won the region championship with Colton Humbard shooting 78, 13 strokes better than what he shot in the district tournament.
"If Colton can play like he did in the region," Williams said, "we have a good shot at being in the top four."
Williams took his teams to play in the WillowBrook Invitational in August, so they're aware of the treachery out there, like the middle stretch of the back nine.
"The whole back is pretty tough, I think," Williams said.
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter @KelleySmiddie.