The REPORTER
The best young golfers in Indiana are up in West Lafayette this week for the Howard Bailey Junior Golf Tour’s Boys State Junior Championship.
The tournament began Monday with stroke play, which took place at Purdue University’s Ackerman-Allen Course, lasted two rounds and finished on Tuesday. The top 64 players after stroke play finished advanced to the match play portion of the tournament, which starts today.
Hamilton County golfers will have a large presence in match play, as 15 local golfers qualified for that portion of the tournament. One of them tied for first place after stroke play: Noblesville’s Jacob Modleski, fresh off helping Guerin Catholic to an IHSAA team state championship, carded a 67-70=137 for his two rounds.
Modleski totaled 10 birdies over his two rounds. He shares the top spot with Fort Wayne’s Alex Holder, who also completed stroke play 67-70=137. Both players were six under for the two rounds.
Westfield’s Will Harvey, part of the Shamrocks’ runner-up IHSAA team, and Fishers’ Cole Starnes, a player on Hamilton Southeastern’s third-place state team, tied for third place; each carded 70-71=141; placing them two under par. Harvey, one of eight Westfield players who advanced to match play, totaled 10 birdies, while Starnes drained eight birdies for the two days.
All three of Westfield’s Cesare brothers qualified for match play. Alec Cesare, who just graduated from Westfield High School, tied for fifth place with an even par 72-72=144, totaling six birdies. Jake Cesare, soon to enter his junior year for the Shamrocks, tied for 10th with a 71-74=145, making five birdies. Incoming sophomore Ryan Cesare tied for 23rd with 76-73=149, with six birdies.
Three county players tied for 15th. Fishers’ Mattingly Upchurch, an incoming Southeastern sophomore, was 75-72=147, including an eagle on the fourth hole of his second round. He also made four birdies. Noblesville’s Alex Peck and Westfield’s Cam Kooi both finished 74-73=147. Peck made seven birdies and Kooi drained four.
Nate Benson, a senior-to-be at Southeastern, finished stroke play 27th at 76-74=150. He also eagled hole No. 4 in the second round and made four birdies. Guerin Catholic’s Will Parenteau finished outside the cut, but he made an eagle in his first round on the third hole.
Other Hamilton County qualifiers are as follows:
T33. Matthew Shull, Westfield, 74-78=152 (three birdies)
T41. Cohen Steill, Westfield, 77-76=153 (eight birdies)
T46. Jackson McCullough, Carmel, 80-75=155 (three birdies)
T58. Jack Harris, Westfield, 79-78=157 (five birdies)
T58. Joseph Armfield, Carmel, 79-78=157 (two birdies)