By RICHIE HALL
WEST LAFAYETTE – The 2020 Boys Team Finals was certainly not the way that Indiana high school golfers expected to end their season.
But the event accomplished its goals. It gave players a chance to compete for a championship and be together with their teammates one more time. The event concluded Thursday at Purdue University’s Ackerman-Allen Course.
After a windy first round of play on Wednesday, golfers were greeted with a much nicer day on Thursday.
“The boys had an experience on Day 1 playing tournament golf in a wind that they probably won’t ever play again,” said Josh Bryant, the Westfield boys golf coach who helped organize the event. “I think it’s a memory that they’ll have from a tournament perspective.
“But more than anything, it was fun to see teammates get a chance to play together this year for a championship, although it’s not a state title from a school perspective. A lot of really good players played in this event, and it’s a meaningful championship for those guys who won.”
Center Grove Legacy, which carded a team score of 618 to win the championship. Center Grove edged out Straight Off The Couch, Carmel’s team, by one shot, as SOTC scored a 619.
The Carmel team had a solid second round, as everyone finished in the 70s. Clay Stirsman and Tony Katsis both scored 75s for the second round, with Stirsman making four birdies. Lucas Stitle and Sam Booth each had two birdies, while Luke Prall and Katsis both made one.
“It was awesome,” said Katsis. “Obviously, it’s not how we want it to end, to have our senior season taken away. But to be out here again with the boys, it’s really special.
Guerin Catholic’s team, Pebble Brook 1, finished fifth with a team score of 633. Andrew White drained three birdies, leading the team with a 76. Ben Burgan, Christian Hein and Jacob Modleski each made one birdie. Connor McNeely rounded out the Pebble Brook team.
The Shamrocks from Westfield rose from 15th place after the first round to finish 11th overall. The Shamrocks scored a total of 652 for the tournament, but improved 16 shots from the first to second day.
Alec Cesare led the Westfield team in its second round with a 76. Nolan Hall made three birdies, while Cesare, Joe Sawyer and Drake Biggs all had one. Spencer Howe, a senior, rounded out the Shamrocks team.
“It was nice to at least have something to call a season,” said Howe. “It was a really cool event.”
Howe also appreciated the chance to play one more round of golf, as did all the other competitors.
“It was still a great opportunity to play in front of our parents and teammates,” said Howe.
The Vikings from Valparaiso placed third, while the Tipton Blue Devils finished fourth. Irish Blue, Cathedral’s team, finished sixth. Two Hamilton County players competed on that team. Ryan Ford had a 72 for his second round, making five birdies for the tournament. Braden Estes had three birdies in his second round.
Team scores: Center Grove Legacy 312-306=618, Straight Off The Couch 314-305=619, Vikings 328-303=631, Tipton Blue Devils 317-315=632, Pebble Brook 1 316-317=633, Irish Blue 329-305=634, Last Dance 316-322=638, TRC 328-312=640, Twirls for the Girls 328-315=643, Southern Indiana Accuracy 323-324=647, Shamrocks 334-318=652, Columbia City Eagles 330-325=655, Zionsville Varsity 330-327=657, Bingham Tigers 327-331=658, Evansville North 337-328=665, Harrison Lakers 333-33=665, Team Sellersburg 335-341=676, Roncalli Red 349-335=684.
Individual medalist: Alex Heck (CGL) 74-72=146.
SOTC scores: Clay Stirsman 77-75=152, Luke Prall 78-77=155, Sam Booth 77-78=155, Lucas Stitle 82-79=161, Tony Katsis 88-75=163.
Pebble Brook 1 scores: Andrew White 81-76=157, Ben Burgan 80-78=158, Connor McNeely 77-82=159, Jacob Modleski 78-83=161, Christian Hein 87-81=168.
Shamrocks scores: Nolan Hall 80-79=159, Alec Cesare 84-76=160, Drake Biggs 84-81=165, Joe Sawyer 86-82=168, Spencer Howe 90-89=179.
Christian Hein was part of Guerin Catholic’s Pebble Brook 1 team, which finished fifth at the 2020 Boys Team Finals. (Richie Hall)
Westfield’s Drake Biggs played for the Shamrocks team during this week’s 2020 Boys Team Finals at Purdue’s Ackerman-Allen Course. (Richie Hall)