Rocks play nine holes under par to run away with team title
By RICHIE HALL
CARMEL – They were the birdies heard around the world – or at least around Prairie View.
Westfield already had the team state championship in hand by the time senior Will Harvey reached the 17th green. It had taken awhile, since the IHSAA boys golf state meet had been delayed one hour at the start, then an extra three hours as a strong thunderstorm raged through the golf course during the late afternoon.
Harvey went into the delay tied for first place with Evansville North’s Luke Johnston, both at seven under par. Once back out on the course, Harvey blasted ahead, making back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th greens.
As a result, Harvey finished the day at six under par. Add that to his three under par performance on the first day, and that gave him the individual championship.
Harvey was in the middle of the fairway on 17 when play resumed. He said that it was “a little tough” coming back after the long delay, but he “gave myself a good uphill look and it happened to go in.”
No bogeys
Harvey then easily made birdie on 18, clinching the individual championship. He had consistency on his mind, saying that his mindset was “going to make pars, and if one goes in, one goes in.”
“I think I did a good job today,” said Harvey. “I don’t think I made a bogey.” He did not make a bogey – Harvey totaled six birdies and 12 pars.
Westfield began the second day with a six-stroke lead over Zionsville, 288-294. But that lead would soon expand. The Rocks played three consecutive holes under par, going two under on No. 2, three under on No. 3 and one under on No. 4.
Soon, Westfield held an 11-stroke lead over second place. That advantage eventually grew to over 20 strokes and finally settled at 30, a new record for margin of victory. Westfield played under par for nine holes and were even par on three more holes. The Shamrocks had six over par holes, but in all six cases, they were only one over par.
“So, on hole nine, I asked coach (Joe) Chaille, ‘How are we doing?,’ said Jake Cesare. “He’s like, ‘We’re doing good. Just keep playing.’ I’m like, ‘All right.’ And then I checked the leaderboard on 11, my eyes just went straight open.”
Jake Cesare contributed to that big lead, of course. He totaled four birdies and was one under par for the day. His younger brother, junior Ryan Cesare, also made four birdies and was two under during the second day.
“I could tell by the crowd’s energy,” said Ryan Cesare. “People were getting into it more. And I knew my teammates had my back. I saw them walking with chest high, head, shoulders back, so I knew they were playing good. So, I just knew I had to keep attacking and playing solid golf, because you really never know what’s going to happen at a course like this.”
Juniors Hudson Kutchma and Mitchell Keene also helped out. Keene scored 73 for his second day at state, improving his first-day score by 11 strokes and making four birdies. Kutchma made two birdies on the second day and totaled 77.