The Kentucky Golf Coaches Association All-State tournament gives teams and individuals around the state a good gauge of where they are as the KHSAA golf postseason is less than a week away.
Over the weekend, the top 15 boys and girls teams in the All-State points standings along with the top 21 boys and girls individuals not on those teams headed to Lexington for the KGCA All-State tournament at UK Club.
The tournament was a 36-hole tournament played on Saturday and Sunday. Qualifying was based on All-State points accumulated during the regular season.
The tournament is weighted towards the season conclusion and helps determine Mr. and Miss Kentucky in golf as well as first and second team All-State. The top 10 players are on the first team with the next 10 in the standings on the second team.
The KHSAA State Champion and KGCA All-State Champion are
both automatically members of the All-State First Team regardless of their points standing.
In the boys tournament, Ryle, Highlands and St. Henry all qualified. The Raiders were the top NKY finisher, finishing 11th with a 36-hole score of 51-over-par. Highlands was 12th at 59-over-par and St. Henry placed 13th at 64-over-par. St. Xavier won with a team score of four-over-par.
Three individuals from NKY placed in the top 20. Ryle’s Paxton McKelvey tied for 11th at 1-over-par. McKelvey was one stroke off the lead after the first 18 holes with a one-under 70 and was 2-over on the second day with a 74. Highlands’ Hank Shick was right behind him in a tie for 14th at 2-over-par. Shick was two-over after the first day and shot an even par 72 on the second day. Campbell County’s Talen Beane was two strokes behind Shick at 4-over-par and in a tie for 19th. Beane was also one-under after the first day and shot a 77 on Sunday. Lexington Catholic’s Charlie Spiller won the individual tournament at five-under-par.
In the girls tournament, Ryle was the lone NKY girls team to qualify and finished 14th with a 36-hole score of 805. Sacred Heart was the winner with a score of 611.
Cooper’s Reagan Ramage, who entered the tournament at the top of the points standings for individuals, finished sixth at 6-over-par. After the first 18 in which she shot an 80, Ramage fired an even-par 72 on Sunday, tied for the third best score on the day. Bishop Brossart’s Emma Laker finished tied for 24th at 19-over-par. Sacred Heart’s Kiera Yun won the individual tournament at two-under-par.
Now teams and individuals will shift their attention to region tournaments that are set to begin on Sept. 23. Teams and individuals in northern Kentucky play in the 7th and 8th Region. The boys 7th Region tournament is Sept. 23 at Boone Links Golf Course. The 8th Region tournament is Sept. 24 at Eagle Creek in Crittenden.
The girls 7th Region tournament is at Kenton County Golf Course — Pioneer Course on Sept. 24. The girls 8th Region tournament is at A.J. Jolly Golf Course on Sept. 23.
The 7th Region consists of Beechwood, Boone County, Calvary Christian, Conner, Cooper, Covington Catholic, Covington Latin, Dixie Heights, Eminence, Heritage Academy, Holmes, Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Ryle, Scott, Simon Kenton, St. Henry, Villa Madonna and Walton-Verona.
The 8th Region consists of Augusta, Bellevue, Bishop Brossart, Bourbon County, Bracken County, Campbell County, Carroll County, Gallatin County, Grant County, Harrison County, Henry County, Highlands, Newport Central Catholic, Nicholas County, Owen County, Paris, Pendleton County, Trimble County and Williamstown.
The top two teams from the region tournament then advance to the first round of the state tournament played at Shelbyville Country Club. Eight teams from Region 5-8 advance to the state first round, two other sites will host Regions 1-4 and 9-12. Then the top three teams from their respective first round site advance to the state tournament in Bowling Green. The first round of the state tournament at Shelbyville is Sept. 30 for boys, Oct. 1 for girls.
The top 10 individuals not on qualifying teams also advance to the state first round at Shelbyville. They would then need to finish in the top 15 at state first round to advance to the state tournament in Bowling Green.
The boys state tournament in Bowling Green is Oct. 7-9, a practice round takes place on the 7th, the 36-hole tournament then running on the 8th and 9th. The girls state tournament in Bowling Green is Oct. 10-12, a practice round on the 10th with the 36-hole tournament on the 11th and 12th.