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GREENSBORO — Grimsley golf coach Joe Franks doesn't like to pull his team off the course for rain unless an ark is liable to appear over the horizon.

"If the course is open, we go play," he said. "That's part of golf."

Franks has spent all season making sure his players were ready for the harsh conditions that hit Forest Oaks Country club on Monday, which the Whirlies navigated to win the 4-A Midwest regional meet and qualify for next week's state meet at Pinehurst.

"Even if it only helps you mentally, let's be honest — golf is a game played on a five-inch course between your ears," Franks said. "If you believe you can go out and have a good day, that's half the battle, isn't it?"

Jake Williams, Bryan Griffin and Adam Friedman each shot a 5-over 77 to lead the Whirlies to a 310 team score, which tied their best 18-hole mark of the season and gave them their fifth regional title in nine years ('02, '03, '04, '06). Grimsley finished two strokes ahead of Davie County and four ahead of Southeast Guilford, which had beaten the Whirlies for the Metro 4-A regular-season title.

"Our kids have the ability, no doubt about that," Franks said. "They've had an up-and-down season, so it certainly makes it a lot sweeter right now."

Glenn's Christian Hawley (N.C. State) was the only player under par in the blustery conditions, firing a 2-under 70 to qualify as an individual along with Southwest Guilford's Davis Hoke and Northwest Guilford's Drew Johnson.

Southeast, playing on its home course, got sub-85 rounds from all six players — Andrew Gates, Brandon Cox, Jeremy Kilgore, Logan Ellis, Caleb Windsor and Jake Capps — to qualify for their fourth straight state meet.

"That's really unprecedented for Southeast," Falcons head coach Mark White said. "We've been fortunate to have some really good players, maybe not college-caliber but good players that get along and enjoy each other's company. We're a pretty solid team one to six."

There weren't a lot of scores to get excited about as dark clouds haunted the action all day. Franks said each Grimsley player's bag was equipped with a small umbrella and special water-resistant synthetic gloves from Footjoy.

"I don't know all the science about it," Franks said, "but the wetter those gloves get, the better the grip you have on a rubber golf glove. It's amazing."

At Indian Valley Golf Course in Burlington, Northern Guilford held off fourth-place Rockingham County by one stroke to finished tied for second in the 3-A Mideast regional and qualify for its first state meet.

The Nighthawks, who will play at Foxfire Country Club in the state meet, contended with a 25-mph wind but rallied behind Colin McKenna's ninth-place 75 to finish tied with Ledford at 311. It helped that Northern, which also got sub-80 rounds from Martin Kappauf, Jay Ealley and Vincent Fry, was playing on the same course where it upset Williams for the Mid-State 3-A title last week.

"They had a target to shoot at, and they just worked hard," Nighthawks head coach Chris Jones said. "Our guys kept on battling, and I kept telling them, scores are not as low as you think they are. Your 78 might be better than you think."

Bishop McGuinness won the 1-A Midwest Regional at Cedarbrook Country Club in Elkin as sophomore Stanhope Johnson shot a four-under 68 to pace the field by three strokes. The 1-A state meet will be played at Long Leaf Golf and Country Club in Southern Pines.

Contact Tom Keller at 373-7034 or tom.keller@news-record.com