Bowling Green Country Club punishes players if the ball is not kept on the fairway.
Nine northern Kentucky golfers learned that on Tuesday as did the majority of the field with just five of 90 players finishing under par at the 2024 Leachman Buick-GMC-Cadillac KHSAA Boys’ state golf championship. The 36-hole tournament runs through Wednesday.
Highlands’ Nate Surrey was the top area finisher on the day with a five-over-par 77. Outside of a triple bogey on No. 16, the Bluebirds senior was pretty steady on the day. He tallied four bogeys, two birdies and 10 pars otherwise. Surrey’s 77 has him in a tie for 30th with 18 holes to play.
Campbell County’s Talen Beane started his day off promising with a birdie on his first hole at No. 10 and was two-over after the front nine, but two double bogeys mixed in with three bogeys and a birdie on the back nine had him going out in 42 for an eight-over-par 80 on the day. He’s in a tie for 49th.
Ryle seventh grader Hayden Li was one behind Beane with an 81. He started three-over in his first two holes and then settled in with seven pars over his next eight holes. Starting his day on the back nine, it was the front nine that did the damage, Li with a double and four bogeys on the front nine with a birdie and four pars.
Covington Catholic’s Joseph Mangine shot a 12-over-par 84 in his first state tournament appearance. Mangine opened with a triple bogey, but settled in going one-under over his next four holes. He followed with two doubles, six bogeys and five pars over his last 13 holes.
St. Henry’s boys were the lone northern Kentucky team to qualify and ended the day eighth out of the nine teams in the field with a team score of 329.
The Crusaders failed to have a player crack 80, Ben Carter leading the way with an 81. Will Hammond was right behind him with an 82, Will Carter and Jake Montgomery with 83’s. Parker Isaacs finished with a 88. St. Henry is one off of seventh, Pulaski County with a 328.
Madison Central leads Trinity by seven strokes for the top team spot, the Indians shooting a 292 to the Shamrocks 299. Taylor County (307), CAL (309), McCracken County (311) and Frederick Douglass (314) are all within striking distance, but would need a special day on Wednesday to threaten for a state title.
In the individual scoring, Lexington Catholic’s Charlie Spiller and Madison Central’s Tucker Jones are tied for the lead at two-under-par. North Laurel’s Brady Hensley, George Rogers Clark’s Evan Taylor and Trinity’s Liam O’Grady sit one behind at one-under. Four others are at even par as nine are within two strokes of one another at the top of the leaderboard.
The girls’ 36-hole state tournament starts on Friday.