Pete Delkus
10-21-2011, 12:49 PM
St. Ignatius seniors urge boy's golf team to aim for par in title chase: High School Fall
Sports Insider
Plain Dealer staff reports, October 21, 2011 3:24 a.m.
Matt Gerard, a St. Ignatius senior, said he hopes to take advantage of the big greens at the Scarlet Course in Columbus during the state high school tournament, which starts today. He’s shown here at the district tournament Oct. 13 at Pine Hills Golf Club in Hinckley. - (Peggy Turbett, PD)
How do you help diffuse the anxiety caused by trying to win a state golf championship?
Patience.
That is the watchword St. Ignatius seniors Beau Titsworth and Matt Gerard have preached to their teammates this week as they prepared to play in the 36-hole Division I state golf tournament that gets under way today on the Scarlet Course in Columbus.
Titsworth and Gerard have been down this road before. No one in the field of 12 teams and 12 individuals has had as much success in leading their teams over the last three seasons. With Titsworth finishing second with rounds of 75-72 and Gerard finishing seventh with scores of 79-74 last year, the Wildcats were second to ColumbusSt. Charles. They finished third in 2009 and 2008.
"It's important to remember that on the Scarlet Course, par is a great score and a bogey is not a bad score," said Titsworth, an Oklahoma recruit. "Everyone wants to hit that hero shot when it might not be necessary. It is very easy to hit shots that could lead to a double , triple or worse."
[B]Gerard, who will attend Xavier, said the size of the Scarlet greens dictates the style of play.
"I think I figured it out last year," he said. "The greens are so big that you just want to hit the fairway and then aim for the center of the green. A two-putt par is a great score and maybe you'll be able to get one of those first putts to fall for birdie. But as long as you have a legitimate chance at par, you'll do fine."
Fellow senior Christian Wagner also was part of last year's team but this will be the first state tournament for senior Conor McKiernan and junior Joe Malone.
Practice canceled: Because of extremely wet conditions, the practice rounds for both boys and girls were canceled on Thursday. The teams were permitted to walk to the course.
Dog-gone good: The Stow team of sophomore Ian Holt and seniors Brandon Nixon, Mac DeChecho, Ryan Foster and Eric Jovanovich, who won the school's first district championship last week, were given a rousing send-off Thursday.
The Bulldogs, looking to improve on their seventh-place finish of last year, were given a police escort out of town. Mayor Karen Fritschel and Superintendent Russ Jones joined most of the student body and the families of team members. This is the second straight state tournament for Holt, Nixon, DeCheco and Jovanovich, who won the district title with the third-best district score in the state at 297.
The team photo adorns the district's web site. Holt had a double reason to celebrate. Thursday was his 16th birthday.
Birthday buddies: Despite living about 30 miles apart, Stow's Brandon Nixon and Matt Gerard of St. Ignatius have developed a friendship while competing in junior golf. They also share the same birthday, turning 18 last Sunday.
Sports Insider
Plain Dealer staff reports, October 21, 2011 3:24 a.m.
Matt Gerard, a St. Ignatius senior, said he hopes to take advantage of the big greens at the Scarlet Course in Columbus during the state high school tournament, which starts today. He’s shown here at the district tournament Oct. 13 at Pine Hills Golf Club in Hinckley. - (Peggy Turbett, PD)
How do you help diffuse the anxiety caused by trying to win a state golf championship?
Patience.
That is the watchword St. Ignatius seniors Beau Titsworth and Matt Gerard have preached to their teammates this week as they prepared to play in the 36-hole Division I state golf tournament that gets under way today on the Scarlet Course in Columbus.
Titsworth and Gerard have been down this road before. No one in the field of 12 teams and 12 individuals has had as much success in leading their teams over the last three seasons. With Titsworth finishing second with rounds of 75-72 and Gerard finishing seventh with scores of 79-74 last year, the Wildcats were second to ColumbusSt. Charles. They finished third in 2009 and 2008.
"It's important to remember that on the Scarlet Course, par is a great score and a bogey is not a bad score," said Titsworth, an Oklahoma recruit. "Everyone wants to hit that hero shot when it might not be necessary. It is very easy to hit shots that could lead to a double , triple or worse."
[B]Gerard, who will attend Xavier, said the size of the Scarlet greens dictates the style of play.
"I think I figured it out last year," he said. "The greens are so big that you just want to hit the fairway and then aim for the center of the green. A two-putt par is a great score and maybe you'll be able to get one of those first putts to fall for birdie. But as long as you have a legitimate chance at par, you'll do fine."
Fellow senior Christian Wagner also was part of last year's team but this will be the first state tournament for senior Conor McKiernan and junior Joe Malone.
Practice canceled: Because of extremely wet conditions, the practice rounds for both boys and girls were canceled on Thursday. The teams were permitted to walk to the course.
Dog-gone good: The Stow team of sophomore Ian Holt and seniors Brandon Nixon, Mac DeChecho, Ryan Foster and Eric Jovanovich, who won the school's first district championship last week, were given a rousing send-off Thursday.
The Bulldogs, looking to improve on their seventh-place finish of last year, were given a police escort out of town. Mayor Karen Fritschel and Superintendent Russ Jones joined most of the student body and the families of team members. This is the second straight state tournament for Holt, Nixon, DeCheco and Jovanovich, who won the district title with the third-best district score in the state at 297.
The team photo adorns the district's web site. Holt had a double reason to celebrate. Thursday was his 16th birthday.
Birthday buddies: Despite living about 30 miles apart, Stow's Brandon Nixon and Matt Gerard of St. Ignatius have developed a friendship while competing in junior golf. They also share the same birthday, turning 18 last Sunday.