Battling the elements including rainstorms on Monday and the wind on Tuesday, the Owensboro Red Devils persevered, shooting 300 to win the boys’ regional golf tournament for the first time since the 1982-83 season.
Daviess County, who finished second, also advanced to the semi-state round that will be played Monday at the Hopkinsville Country Club. The top 10 individuals excluding those on the top two teams also advanced.
Expected to be a one-day event, lightning and multiple rain showers on Monday pushed the majority of golfers to resume regional play Tuesday morning.
“It was choppy. Our guys didn’t get started in the first wave so we were able to wait for it to clear up a little bit,” Owensboro head coach Pat Hume said. “Our first guy teed off and then we went into another delay. We came out today expecting another delay but we got great weather. It was windy today but our guys hung in there. They were here for 10-12 hours yesterday and didn’t get to finish so I am proud of them for the way they came out today.”
Jax Malone, who also won individual play, shot a 70 to lead the Red Devils. Will Rickard, Nolan Warren, and Cole Crews shot 75, 77, and 78 respectively to round out the team’s top four scores. Favorites to win the tournament, the boys weren’t fazed by the weather and just treated it like another day on the course.
“I hit the ball a lot better today than I have been,” Malone said. “It feels nice having an awesome coach who really pushes us through and gives us some great opportunities… I’m going to go out there, play to the best of my abilities, and hopefully qualify for state. If not, I will learn from it.”
The Panthers shot a 322 and were led by Grant Broughton, who shot a 71 and finished second overall in the individual. Heading into the 18th hole, Broughton had a chance for a long put to force a tiebreaker, but his ball stopped just short. He made the following shot to secure his team a spot at semi-state.
“It’s a mental battle and there aren’t a lot of players who won’t stay mentally strong through rain delays, especially when it is postponed into a second day,” Broughton said. “It’s just something you have to overcome. I didn’t feel like I hit it great today. I made some good par saves. It definitely could have been a better round. but I’m not too upset with it.”
Logan Mewes and Collin Reynolds both shot an 83, while Walker Ferguson’s 85 rounded out the team’s top four scores. Head coach Lars King mentioned that some of his players got off to rough starts on Monday, but they used the second day to mentally reset and get back to work.
“I told them that the round wasn’t over,” King said. “I reminded them that every shot counts and as you see by the score, one shot was it.”
Finishing third, the Aces shot 323 and missed the team cutoff by one stroke. Despite that, both John Wathen and Luke Estes advanced as individuals, shooting a 77 and 80. Vince Hayden and Hayden Crabtree rounded out the team’s top four scores, shooting an 82 and 84.
Owensboro Catholic was off to a solid start through the front nine, but according to head coach Mark Price, they leaked some oil on the back nine which ended up being the difference.
“We didn’t finish like we wanted to, but we shot our average on regional day which is really hard to do,” Price said. “We were consistent and I am really happy with how the boys competed throughout. You don’t want them giving up when they encounter adversity and they didn’t do that. They fought back and gave it a good run.”
Hancock County finished fifth, shooting 330. Dec Lewko led the way for his team shooting 79, advancing to semi-state as an individual. Jaxon Blake, Kolby Keown, and Jacob Shultz shot 82, 83, and 86 to round out the team’s top four scores.
“The boys had a rough two days,” Hancock County head coach Jeff Shultz said. “It was their worst tournament of the year at a bad time. I am proud of their attitudes today. They could have put their heads and shoulders down, but they pushed through it and came away with fifth place overall. I am proud of the season they had.”
The Eagles shot a 379, with Carter Kimmel finishing with the top score on the team of 82.
“Considering the delays and our youth, my team has done a good job,” Apollo head coach David Lyons said. “I am very proud of the way they came out and were resilient with the weather delays.”
The Cougars had three players finish — Treyson Blades (107), Ian Howard (119), and Mason Howard (145). The Raiders they were represented by Hayden Aull, Finn Williams, and Connor Hatfield who shot 101, 101, and 106.
