CARMEL — The Bloomington South boys golf team got up Wednesday morning with full intentions of making some noise in the final round of IHSAA Boys Golf State Finals.
Oh, they made a racquet all right even before the first tee shot was hit. Overnight, the catalytic converter was stolen from the MCCSC minivan the Panthers had parked outside their hotel (a Sheraton) in a busy area not far from the I-465/Keystone interchange.
They had no choice but to drive it, making for an unforgettable and loud arrival to Prairie View Golf Club‘s main parking lot. They may have lost some precious metals, but they also picked up some precious medals.
From there, it was a little smoother and quieter on the course, finishing one shot better than in Round 1 to finish fourth and on the medal stand with a total of 607, behind Guerin Catholic (589), Westfield (591) and Hamilton Southeastern ( 600) and ahead of regional champion Evansville North (612) and Zionsville (614).
“I thought we just competed,” South coach Dustin Carver said. “I knew we were a top-4 team. I thought we could be right there with the top three. Super proud of our players. They came in and fought.”
Junior Happy Gilmore also earned an individual medal by placing seventh (72-72—144), while junior Connor Byon placed 12th (71-76—147), senior Nick Bellush tied for 23rd (77-74—151), first year student. Colton Watson finished 75th (84-82—166) and senior Harrison Bomba was 83rd (90-81—171). Gilmore and Bellush were also awarded All-State honors by Indiana High School Golf Coaches Association.
South and Guerin Catholic are the only programs to finish in the top six the past three years after the lost COVID year of 2020. This is the fourth time since 2006 that the Panthers have placed in the top four.
“It’s amazing,” Gilmore said. “Going into it we wanted to do better than fourth, we really wanted to win this. But you know, fourth isn’t bad, it gets us on the podium.
“Right now, the competition is really good team-wise in the state, so it was anybody’s tournament. To finish fourth is great. I’m just glad I came out and played solid golf. The team played really solid.”
“Ecstatic,” Byon said. “We played well enough, we deserved to be a top-four team. And when we came down the stretch, I think I especially struggled. But there’s no ‘I’ in the team, so I’m happy, that our other guys came in and finished strong and helped us finish where we did today.”
It was a nice send off for the seniors.
“They’re kind of crazy,” Bellush said. “But they are good teammates and you can always count on them to be there and do the right thing.”
Bloomington North junior Jacob Knapp pushed just into the top 40 in his first and only state appearance with a 77-79—156.
Here’s what each of the six players thought after the state finals concluded:
Gilmore even keel, even par
Gilmore had the best back nine of any Panther, carding a 35 that included two birdies and six pars.
“There’s always a couple of punches because it’s state,” Gilmore said. “And then the conditions were soft, so I think the course played a little easier. Because you could get away with maybe hitting a drive and it would stick to the fairway. You could pretty much attack a pin if you had a decent shot in.
“I couldn’t ask to hit the ball much better, my putter just wasn’t there most of the week. I kept hitting it close but nothing could go in.”
Bellush fights back
After shooting 5-over on Tuesday, Bellush came out on top in Round 2, with three birdies on the front end for a 34. The Purdue-Fort Wayne signee couldn’t quite keep up that momentum, but still finished three shots better than the day before.
“I was pretty upset because I was playing well and it just kind of turned around and played poorly to finish with that score (77),” Bellush said. “So I tried to be positive about it, come out the next day and have fun. My last high school tournament ever, just try to enjoy myself. One last go and I did. I had a lot of fun and That’s what matters most I think.”
Putting was the most difficult part of his round as he tried to gauge the right speed. But he came up with a big shot in front of the gallery on the 18th, teeing off from the heather after his approach took a long time to give himself a solid birdie opportunity.
“It was pretty cool,” Bellush said. “I’ll remember that for a while.”
Byon is just missing the top 10
A medal was within the grasp of the juniors and it slipped away on the last two holes, both double bogeys, an unfortunate end to a terrific tournament run. He was 1-under on the day and 2-under for the tournament before then, pointing out that he will be one to reckon with next year as only six players finished under par.
“I have some growing to do,” Byon said. “On the 17th and 18th, I wasn’t super nervous going down that stretch. I obviously had some adrenaline going, but I’ve got a lot of maturing going into this off-season and the upcoming summer season.
“I have a lot of mistakes to work on, and even the things I’m good at, I need to work on and sharpen up a little more.”
He can’t wait to get back at it after his third and best state appearance yet.
“It’s been surreal,” Byon said. “Makes me really excited about what we’re going to do next year. I think next year we’re going to come back harder and stronger and more determined than ever.”
C-Wat makes a strong debut
Watson was one of just a dozen freshmen to play at state and more than held his own for a state qualifier.
“Absolutely nervous,” Watson said. “Just kind of went through the round, went through the swings and hit some golf shots.”
He wasn’t expected to play the role, but he became a reliable piece for the Panthers with bright upside.
“I didn’t feel like I could be good enough to play a 4, but I definitely feel like I could have produced some better results. I started playing better toward the end of the year. I made a lot of friends , great experience, learned a lot about golf and I think it will help me over the years.”
Bomba bounces back
After a tough first round, Bomba covered Prairie View with just one double bogey to improve by nine shots in the final round of his high school career. He spent too much time worrying about every shot and decided to simplify his approach.
“I had some nerves yesterday,” Bomba said. “But I think I settled in at the end of yesterday and came out today and decided to play golf.”
And that was fine with Carver, who took a hands-off approach and succeeded. In the end, Bomba was just thrilled to be there after working so hard to earn his spot on the state team.
“It meant a lot,” he said. “It’s pretty special because freshman year was out due to COVID, injury sophomore year and junior year, I just wasn’t at the level I needed to be.
“It was a grind this year and I’m really happy to have fought and made it. It was a great experience.”
Knapp is top 40
Knapp will never forget the final hole of his high school career, when he had to clear the second stretch of water on No. 9 with an iron from across the road into the fairway after an errant tee shot nearly bounced into a neighboring yard . But there are plenty of positive things he will remember.
“The crowd was a great crowd,” Knapp said. “I’ll remember all the people watching the first hole. And also the course, it’s a really nice course. Just a good experience all around.”
Knapp started on No. 10 and was just 1-over at the turn, but the front nine trailed with five bogeys.
“My driver shots were really challenging for me,” Knapp said. “They just weren’t consistent. I was going to the left and then I was pulling it to the right. And also with my putts, I was having a hard time keeping track of how hard to putt it.”
Knapp will be missed by the Cougars as he leaves to compete for Hanover.
“I couldn’t be more proud of him,” North coach Harrison Carmichael said. “I know he probably didn’t finish the way he wanted to down the stretch, but you’re not going to find a better person.”
“It means a lot to be able to get through regionals,” Knapp said. “I didn’t really think I could do it beforehand, but when I played regionals, I knew I was on track to go to state. It’s been fun and quite a journey over the three years.”
IHSAA BOYS’ GOLF STATE FINAL
Team score – 1. Guerin Catholic 291-298—589; 2. Westfield 293-298—591; 3. Hamilton Southeast 304-296—600; 4. Bloomington South 304-303—607; 5. Evansville North 307-305—612; 6. Zionsville 309-305—614; 7. Noblesville 315-303—618; 8. The lion 318-308—626; 9. Valparaiso 303-323—626; 10. Tipton 309-320—629; 11. Center Grove 313-316—629; 12. Columbus North 310-321—631; 13. Husmandsted 325-311—636; 14. Floyd Central 323-319—642; 15. Chesterton 320-330—650; 16. Penn 326-336—662; 17. Evansville Memorial 339-328—667; 18. Northridge 355-328—683.
Top 10 People (All States): 1. Leo Wessel, GC, 71-67—138; T2. Silas Haarer, Westview, 75-66—141; Jacob Modleski, GC, 67-74—141; Justin Hicks, The Lion, 71-70—141; 5. Aiden Gutierrez, V, 67-75—142; 6. Brayden Miller, Fairfield, 69-74—143; T7. Maverick Conaway, Tip, 71-73—144; Happy GIlmore, BSouth, 72-72—144; Jake Cesare, Westf, 71-73—144; T10. Mason Price, Carmel, 71-74—145; Will Harvey, Westf, 73-72—145.