Southeastern easily wins team title, Upchurch is medalist
By RICHIE HALL
CARMEL – In the latest Indiana golf coaches poll, Hamilton Southeastern is ranked fourth and received one first-place vote.
The Royals might be getting a few more first-place votes in the next poll after what they did on Saturday, May 9. What did they do? Oh, just win the loaded Spring Preview at Prairie View Golf Course in Carmel, the site of the IHSAA state finals.
Southeastern finished with a team score of 295, comfortably ahead of runner-up Homestead’s 308. The Royals had the meet medalist in Mattingly Upchurch and placed two other golfers in the top 10.
Coach David Young admitted that some his players got off to a rough start on the first couple holes, but credited them with righting the ship, saying they “hung in there. They were able to listen, refocus, lock it in and really finish pretty strong.”
Upchurch was the only player to finish under par for the event, scoring a three-under 69. Upchurch overcame a tough start, as he was two over after his first four holes.
“I was pretty flustered,” said Upchurch. “I just regathered myself and made a good birdie on 11 and that’s when things got going.”
The senior Upchurch, who is committed to Ball State, claimed his fourth medalist victory in recent weeks. He won the Danville Invitational at Twin Bridges and the Spring Showcase at Sultan’s Run in Jasper, then added a victory at a three-team event with Noblesville and Zionsville at Broadmoor Country Club.
“It’s my senior season, I’ve got two weeks left of [high] school,” said Upchurch. “We’re just having fun. We’re just enjoying the last couple weeks of high school. I think it’s really been translating to the golf course.
Dane Starnes scored 73, which put him in a tie for second place; he finished fourth individually on a tiebreaker. Brody Colburn scored 75, tying him for ninth place.
Carmel placed third as a team with 309. Alex Gardner and Noah Johnson each scored 76 to lead the Greyhounds.
Westfield scored 320 to place eighth. Hudson Kutchma’s 75 earned him a spot in the ninth-place tie.
Noblesville finished ninth with a score of 322. JT Kelley led the Millers with 77.
Team scores: Hamilton Southeastern 295, Homestead 308, Carmel 309, Castle 310, Elkhart, 311, Center Grove 314, South Bend St. Joseph 320, Westfield 320, Noblesville 322, Zionsville 324, Bishop Dwenger 324, Leo 327, Cathedral 328, Bloomington South 330, Franklin Community 332, Lake Central 341, Floyd Central 356, Evansville North 358.
Medalist: Mattingly Upchurch (HSE) 35-34=69.
Other Southeastern scores: Dane Starnes 34-39=73, Brody Colburn 39-36=75, Blake Babb 40-38=78, Ben Miller 40-42=82.
Carmel scores: Noah Johnson 37-39=76, Alex Gardner 37-39=76, Preston Roberts 39-39=78, Patrick Wolf 37-42=79, Ben Wilson 39-42=81.
Westfield scores: Hudson Kutchma 37-38=75, Keaton Knott 36-43=79, Ryan Cesare 43-39=82, Mitchell Keene 42-42=84, Brayden Worthington 41-45=86.
Noblesville scores: JT Kelley 37-40=77, Tyler Marucci 42-38=80, Jackson Mahan 42-40=82, Vaughn Twilla 43-40=83, Dalen Rippy 40-47=87.
Be the first to comment on "Royals soar to Spring Preview sweep"