With 18 of the top 20-ranked teams in the state participating, Saturday’s State Preview boys golf tournament at Prairie View Golf Club was one of the more highly anticipated events of the season.
Guerin Catholic came into the State Preview ranked No. 1 in the state, and the Golden Eagles left as No. 1, winning the tournament. Guerin carded a team score of 292. Fifth-ranked Carmel was the runner-up with a total of 298, and also had the meet medalist: Shoji Fujita’s outstanding play on the back nine sent him to the individual championship with a score of 69, three under par.
The Golden Eagles’ team score placed them four over par as a team. Connor McNeely led the way with a two-under par 70, while Andrew White, Jacob Modleski and Leo Wessel all had 74s. McNeely and Modleski both made an eagle, while McNeely, White and Ben Burgan (79) all drained two birdies. Wessel had one birdie.
“They showed up, all of them played extremely well,” said Guerin Catholic assistant coach Joel Rust. “The course was in great condition.”
Fujita also made an eagle, and it will likely be remembered as one of the best eagles ever made at Prairie View. He achieved it on the par-4 17th hole, and it looked precarious at first.
“I pulled my tee shot to the left, ended up in the fairway bunker,” said Fujita. “It was sitting down, wasn’t a great lie, I had 175 (yards) out. I pull out a seven iron and I just tried to chop down at it to get the ball out. It ended up pretty close to the hole, and then I look down and then I hear my brother and one of my teammates scream, and I look up and the ball was gone. It was great.
Fujita had birdied hole No. 16 right before his eagle, so he took himself from even to three under par in just two holes. He then parred the 18th hole to clinch medalist honors.
“After I birdied 13 and then made a 25-footer for par on 14, I knew I was going in the right direction,” said Fujita. He made three birdies total for the tournament.
Patrick Michael and Sam Booth both scored 76s while Owen Sander scored 77. All three made one birdie. Joe Armfield carded and 82 and had two birdies.
“All in all, we’re just really proud and encouraged by where they are, just in terms of the process that we’re asking them to commit to,” said Greyhounds coach Josh Shelton. “The kids have completely bought in to what we’re asking them to do. And so they all have the right mindset, the right attitude. They believe in how we play. I think we’re in a good spot.”
Hamilton Southeastern, ranked seventh in the state, finished seventh with a team score of 323. Lane Zedrick led the Royals with a 74, including four birdies. The other four Southeastern players – Cole Starnes, Thomas Reising, Tyler Lacy and Nathan Benson – all had one birdie.
Westfield scored 327 to finish in 11th place. Cam Kooi and Timmy Leonard both had two birdies for the third-ranked Shamrocks, while Alec Cesare and Colin Nixon each made one. Cesare and Kooi both had 79s.
Noblesville placed 20th with a score of 346. Will Perkins made two birdies on his way to a 79, while Alex Peck had one for the 13th-ranked Millers.
Team scores: Guerin Catholic 292, Carmel 298, Center Grove 313, Zionsville 320, Fort Wayne Carroll 320, Bloomington South 322, Hamilton Southeastern 323, Columbus North 324, Crown Point 324, Warsaw 325, Westfield 327, Floyd Central 329, Penn 329, Cathedral 331, Franklin Community 335, Evansville North 335, Silver Creek 336, Tipton 339, Bishop Dwenger 343, Noblesville 346, Yorktown 349.
Medalist: Shoji Fujita (Carmel) 37-32=69.
Guerin Catholic scores: Connor McNeely 33-37=70, Andrew White 36-38=74, Jacob Modleski 39-35=74, Leo Wessel 37-37=74, Ben Burgan 39-40=79.
Other Carmel scores: Patrick Michael 38-38=76, Sam Booth 38-38=76, Owen Sander 37-40=77, Joe Armfield 38-44=82.
Southeastern scores: Lane Zedrick 38-36=74, Cole Starnes 38-44=82, Thomas Reising 40-43=83, Tyler Lacy 43-41=84, Nathan Benson 46-41=87.
Westfield scores: Alec Cesare 38-41=79, Cam Kooi 39-40=79, Hunter Cook 41-41=82, Colin Nixon 45-42=87, Timmy Leonard 39-48=87.
Noblesville scores: Will Perkins 39-40=79, Alex Peck 37-44=81, Brady Mangin 44-46=90, Drew Decker 45-51=96, Gavin Hancock 49-49=98.