Owensboro Catholic boys’ and girls’ golf came away victorious Wednesday, claiming the All ”A” Region team championships in addition to the individual titles at Windridge Country Club.
Owensboro Catholic boys’ golf
Owensboro Catholic grabbed first place with a team score of 166, while Hancock County took second with a 174 and McLean County grabbed third with a 176.
THe Aces’ Jakob Wellman tied with McLean County’s Harrison Sallee, earning him the title of Co-Champion with a score of 39 on the day.
Catholic’s Hayden Crabtree and Noah Johnson both shot a 42, Houston Danzer shot a 43, and Sam Mitchell shot a 45.
Crabtree was asked to move up to the four spot for the team with a player unable to compete, and he stepped up to the challenge very well according to head coach Bretnea Turner.
“I was really proud of the way he played today shooting a 42,” Turner said. “It’s a little bit lower than his average, although he’s fully capable of shooting that So putting the pressure on him that really his score needed to count today, I was proud to see him do well.”
Despite being Co-Champion, Wellman said he could have done better. Turner said Wellman still played very well against some of the best in the region.
“He wants to shoot well in every tournament he’s in and he really takes every event that we have — whether it be nine-hole or 18-hole, local or far away — really seriously,” Turner said. “He’s trying to kind of leave his mark on this year. I know his score today isn’t going to reflect a lot of smiles or a lot of happiness, but I do know that on your worst day if you’re still shooting under 40 it’s really not too bad.”
Along with his high level of play individually, it’s the camaraderie and leadership he brings as a teammate that sets him apart from many of his competitors.
“He’s also the first kid on my team to ask how the other players are doing,” Turner said. “He’s the first to talk them up when he’s on the course and give them a thumbs up when he walks by. He really is a good leader for our team.”
With All “A” State now the main focus, Turner said they will check out their scorecards from previous years and look to see what they can do to improve on each one.
“We will look at those holes and figure out where some of the problem areas were in previous years,” she said. “But ultimately, we’ll get up there and we’ll play our practice round likely on Friday… I’m looking forward to the event and I’m looking forward to seeing how they can handle that and whether or not they can keep their wits about them and shoot an average.”
Owensboro Catholic girls’ golf
The Lady Aces narrowly grabbed first place with a score of 206, edging Edmonson County by two strokes. Meanwhile, McLean County finished in third with a 266.
Catholic’s RC Porter grabbed first place individually with a 44, barely beating Edmonson County’s Paige Wolfe who finished with a 45.
Conleigh Osborne finished third overall individually with a 47. Addie Belle Rutman (57), Lainey Ann Osborne (58) and Olivia McPherson (62) wrapped up the Lady Aces scoring on the day.
Head Coach Stacey Johnson was pleased with each player’s performance, knowing they played at the peak of their game.
“The majority of our girls had their personal records for this season tonight, and one of our girls had her PR in general,” Johnson said. “So they shot it out of the water. We have not been scoring this well. We have honestly been struggling with our scores. It just hasn’t been clicking and it clicked today.”
Johnson accredited a new scene and environment and a more relaxed mindset to their success on the course.
“I think they were more relaxed,” Johnson said. “It was a different course. We haven’t had that many matches and we finally had a different course than Ben Hawes. They kind of get in their heads at Ben Hawes, so having a fresh course kind of helps them too.”
For RC, Johnson said that her time outside of these matches led to the execution she showed today.
“She’s been working very hard and it just clicked for her today,” Johnson said. “Her drives were great. She was crushing everything straight down the fairway. Her chipping was great, her putting was great, so everything just fell into place with her.”
Porter credited the team as a whole for their success, while also saying it was her ability to move the ball down the course effectively that led to her personal achievement.
“I think my drives,” Porter said. “My chipping was really good too. My chipping was like my power move I would say.”
With All “A” state now in mind, the team will get right back to work Thursday and shore up some things to try and continue their winning ways.
“We’ll have practice first thing tomorrow,” Johnson said. “We’ll be hitting it hard practicing. Some of us need to work out some things on the driving range, but just not giving up and grinding it out until then [is what we’ll do].”
