A 60-yard drive on a par-5 playoff hole could have spelled the end for Will Fowler’s regional title hopes Tuesday, but he didn’t waiver.
“I knew it’s golf and that anything can happen,” the St. Xavier High School junior said. “It was a never-say-die kind of thing and just keep scrambling and hope maybe they mess up or something.”
Fowler scrambled his way to a bogey to continue the playoff and eventually won it on the fourth playoff hole with a par, beating Trinity freshman Hudson Hummel in the Region Six boys golf tournament at Seneca Golf Course.
Listed No. 5 among the Tigers’ five players Tuesday, Fowler wasn’t sure last week he’d even make the regional team.
“With St. X golf, if you’re on the team you should feel confident because we’re such a deep team,” Fowler said. “This gives me a lot of confidence going into state.”
Fowler helped defending state champion St. X capture the regional team title as well Tuesday. The Tigers finished with an even-par score of 288 and qualified along with runner-up Trinity (304) for next week’s State Championships at Bowling Green Country Club.
“I’m ecstatic with 288,” first-year Tigers coach Patrick Sullivan said. “It’s a great score. They played their tails off all day. It wasn’t easy. … We graduated five seniors from last year and put five new guys in the lineup, and here we are again as regional champions and going back to state.”
Ballard just missed out on a trip to state, finishing third at 306. North Oldham (314) was fourth, followed by Eastern (315) and Christian Academy (317).
Fowler, Hummel and St. X freshman Campbell Kremer all shot 1-under-par 71s to force a playoff, with Kremer getting eliminated on the first hole.
On the second playoff hole – the 516-yard 15th – Fowler’s drive hit a tree and landed directly underneath it. Playing around the right side of the fairway, Fowler reached the green with his third shot. He then chipped on and two-putted for a bogey. Hummel had a short par putt that would have given him the title, but it lipped out.
Fowler’s second shot on the fourth playoff the hole – the par-4 17th – was one of his best of the day. From 152 yards out, Fowler hit a 9-iron within 10 feet of the cup.
“Coach looked at me and said, ‘Time to hit a shot here,’” Fowler said. “I stepped up and aimed a little bit right of the hole. I pulled it a little bit, and it was perfect. It was a mental battle. Any playoff is. You just have to look him in the eye and try to beat him.”
After Hummel made bogey, Fowler two-putted for par to take the title.
That wasn’t the only playoff drama as there was a four-player battle for the three individual qualifying spots for state. Ballard’s Mile Parroco clinched the first with a 72, leaving Christian Academy’s Hayden Zimmerer, Manual’s Robbie Keyes and North Oldham’s Mason Lenhart to vie for the other two after shooting 74s.
After Lenhart missed his par putt on the first playoff hole, Zimmerer and Keyes made theirs to qualify for state.
“With us three being seniors and only two guys who could make it, I knew it was going to be the last high school tournament for one of us,” Zimmerer said. “It was kind of heartbreaking, but I’m excited to be able to go to state again.”
OTHER REGIONAL RESULTS
* Bullitt East senior Zach Taylor and Holy Cross junior Cooper Scott both shot 7-over-par 79s Tuesday in the Region Five boys tournament at Lindsey Golf Course in Fort Knox, Kentucky, and earned spots as individual qualifiers for the state tournament.
Elizabethtown’s Spencer Jury was the individual winner after carding a 71.
E’town was the team champion with a 309 and qualified for state along with runner-up LaRue County (318). Bullitt East (339) finished third, and Holy Cross (352) was fifth.
* Bullitt East senior Margherita Battislotti shot an 86 and qualified for state during Monday’s Region Three girls tournament at Lindsey Golf Course.
Elizabethtown took the team title with a 380, and Central Hardin was the runner-up at 412. Grayson County junior Rachael Shelton took individual honors with a 75.
Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.
BOYS REGION SIX GOLF TOURNAMENT
At Seneca Golf Course, par-72
* Team scores – 1. x-St. Xavier 288; 2. x-Trinity 304; 3. Ballard 306; 4. North Oldham 314; 5. Eastern 316; 6. Christian Academy 317; 7. Oldham County 337; 8. Manual 341; 9. Collins 342; 10. South Oldham 348; 11. (tie) Kentucky Country Day, Collegiate 353; 13. Shelby County 366; 14. Whitefield Academy 384; 15. (tie) Jeffersontown, Male 390.
* Top individuals – 71 – y-Will Fowler (St. Xavier), Campbell Kremer (St. Xavier), Hudson Hummel (Trinity); 72 – x-Miles Parroco (Ballard), Clay Amlung (St. Xavier); 74 – x-Robbie Keyes (Manual), x-Hayden Zimmerer (Christian Academy), Drew Hinkebein (St. Xavier), Mason Lenhart (North Oldham); 75 – J.M. Butler (Trinity); 76 – Anuj Chhabra (Ballard), Ben Bryant (Eastern); 77 – Michael McAdams (Kentucky Country Day), Barrett Myers (Collegiate), Jay Kirchdorfer (St. Xavier).
x-qualified for State (top two teams, top three individuals not on one of top two teams).
y-won playoff for individual title.