WEST LAFAYETTE — Some of the individual scores weren’t quite what they wanted, and there were some nervousness as the other scores trickled in, but in the end, the Centerburg golf team made history Monday.
The Trojans advanced to the state golf tournament for the first time ever by finishing fourth in the Division III District tournament at River Greens Golf Course.
“This feels great. It was kind of a rough day with the weather. The scores were higher than we wanted, and we were little nervous, but this was a goal of ours, especially the seniors,” said Centerburg coach Nathan Altizer. “This was a big goal. It didn’t matter if we’re first or fourth, we just wanted in. This is a huge accomplishment.”
The Trojans shot 340 as a team in the 18-hole tournament. Fairfield Academy won the district with a team score of 328. Wellington was second at 330, followed by Garaway (339), the Trojans and Ridgewood (347). The top four teams from the district qualified for the state tournament, Oct. 15-16 at North Star Golf Club in Sunbury.
Senior Garrison Myles led the Trojans with a 3-over-par score of 75. He shot an even-par 36 on the first nine he played, then followed that with a 39 on the inward nine. That score was good enough to earn Myles runner-up medalist honors for the tournament.
“I didn’t hit the ball real solid on the back. I did on the front and hit my greens. On the back I was trying to guide the ball,” Myles said. “I just tried to make a nice smooth swing and focus on making good shots.
“This (making state) has been our goal since the beginning of the year. We wanted to make state and play North Star.”
“Garrison played well. To be runner-up, he had to play well, which he did,” Altizer said. “But, I’m sure he’s just as happy going to state as a team.”
Troy Lemke was next for the Trojans, firing nines of 40 and 43 for an 83. Austin Garber and Cole Metcalf both fired 43s and 48s for a pair of 91s. Garber’s better nine was his first one, while Metcalf rebounded to shoot 43 on his second nine. Nich Pitzer shot rounds of 50 and 48 for his 98.
“They hung in there well. That was the big thing today, hanging in there,” Altizer said. “Cole had a good second nine. Austin got off to a good start and didn’t let it get too far.
“Even Nich, he had one bad hole, but after that, he kept his composure the best he could. It was a bit of a grind today, but we did it.”
The Trojans will now play in the 36-hole state tournament next Friday and Saturday at North Star Golf Club. They have some experience in the state as Lemke made it as an individual last year, while Myles made it there his re year.
“We’ve gone from nine-hole matches to 18. This is our first experience with 36. Garrison and Troy know what 36 holes are like. It’s a grind. You can’t let the hole get away from you,” Altizer said. “We know we can’t play 36 perfect holes. You’ve got to get over the bad shots and do the best you can.”
