Ryle’s Hayden Li is once again the top northern Kentucky finisher at the KHSAA state golf tournament in Bowling Green.
Li finished tied for 24th with a 36-hole score of seven-over par. He fired a 75 on Tuesday and a 76 on Wednesday. It’s the second straight year he’s led the contingent of NKY golfers at the final rounds of the state tournament. He entered the state tournament 15th in Kentucky Golf Coaches Association All-State points, meaning he’d land on the All-State second team. The result at state will put him right on the bubble of the top 20 for All-State points.
Li improved his place at the state tournament from 2025 by three strokes and eight places. Last year he tied for 32nd and finished with a 36-hole score of 11-over. In 2024, he finished tied for 57th at 16-over.
With two years left of high school, Li will look to keep improving and chasing a region title as well, finishing runner-up this year.
St. Xavier won the team title for the second straight year, finishing eight-under-par and winning by 23 strokes over CAL.
Frederick Douglass’ Anderson Lang won the individual title at four-under-par, defeating St. Xavier’s Luc Kelty in a playoff that went two holes.
Full leaderboard can be found here
Five others from NKY competed over the last two days.
St. Henry’s Parker Isaacs and Covington Catholic’s Joseph Mangine were next up in a tie for 32nd at nine-over. Isaacs went 76 and 77 in his 36 holes. In his third appearance in Bowling Green, this was Isaacs best finish yet, finishing 88th as a sophomore and 71st as a junior.
Mangine shot 75 on Tuesday and 78 on Wednesday in his final tournament as a high school golfer. Like Isaacs, he was also making his third trip to Bowling Green and netted his best finish yet. As a sophomore he was 60th and 78th as a junior.
Dixie Heights’ Jack Woolwine tied for 57th at 15-over, firing a 80 on Tuesday and 79 on Wednesday. It was his first appearance in Bowling Green, earning his way in by surviving a four-man playoff in sectional play last week.
Covington Catholic’s Carson White tied for 62nd at 18-over, shooting 82 and 80. Making his first trip to Bowling Green, White led the Colonels in sectional play last week to qualify.
Walton-Verona’s Adam Gutman placed in a tie for 66th at 20-over, he shot 83 on Tuesday and 81 on Wednesday. Gutman was the top finisher of NKY golfers at the sectional last week and was making his second straight trip to Bowling Green where he finished 83rd last year.
The girls state tournament gets underway on Friday in Bowling Green and the 36-hole tournament ends on Saturday.
