The KHSAA golf postseason is here in a way and it starts this weekend.
Yes, region tournaments don’t start until Sept. 22, but the Kentucky Golf Coaches Association All-State Championship is Saturday and Sunday at University Club of Kentucky in Lexington and is heavily weighted towards All-State points and Mr. and Miss Kentucky Golfer of the Year.
The tournament takes the top 15 teams in the state for boys and girls based off their points earned in qualified All-State tournaments throughout the season with Sept. 7 being the cutoff for earning points. Outside of the top 15 teams, the next best 21 individuals not on those teams qualify individually for the tournament, bringing the top 96 players in the state in boys and girls to Lexington.
After the state tournament, the top 10 in boys and girls All-State points standings make the All-State first team, the next 10 make the All-State second team. The top point getter wins Mr. and Miss Kentucky Golf.
TEAMS AT ALL-STATE
Representing Northern Kentucky this weekend team-wise will be the Ryle boys and girls teams. The boys team is tied for fourth in the All-State points standings with 660 points. Their top five players in the All-State standings are Paxton McKelvey, Thomas Leone, Chandler James, Hayden Li and Jake Roscoe. McKelvey leads the team with 470 All-State points, 44th in the standings.
The boys teams in the field are: Madison Central, McCracken County, St. Xavier, Ryle, Hazard, Trinity, Eastern, Lexington Christian Academy, Marshall County, Scott County, Russell County, Oldham County, Taylor County, Frederick Douglass, Henry Clay.
The Ryle girls team is tied for 12th in the All-State points standings with 580 points. The Ryle girls top four players in the All-State points standings are Anika Okuda, Elizabeth Dickson, Lacey Wilson and Morgan Poe. Okuda leads the team with 550 points and in 16th in the standings.
The girls teams in the field are: Lexington Christian Academy, Madison Central, Sacred Heart, Owen County, Bowling Green, Daviess County, Marshall County, Franklin County, Frederick Douglass, Ohio County, West Jessamine, Ryle, South Oldham, Henderson County, Taylor County.
INDIVIDUALS AT ALL-STATE
Campbell County’s Talen Beane qualified individually, he currently sits in a tie for fourth with 640 All-State points. He trails Marshall County’s Ryan Stokes (670 points), Woodford County’s Bradford Lacefield (660 points) and McCracken County’s Landon Hunt (650 points). Dixie Heights’ Jack Woolwine also qualified. He has 460 points on the year and has him in a tie for 46th in the standings.
No other individual girls from Northern Kentucky qualified for the tournament.
REGION TOURNAMENTS
After the weekend, teams and individuals will get a week to fine tune their games leading into region tournaments that start on Sept. 22. The girls 7th Region tournament is Sept. 22 at The Golf Courses at Kenton County Pioneer Course and the boys 7th Region Tournament will be at Boone Links Golf Course on Sept .23. The girls 8th Region tournament will be Sept. 22 at Eagle Creek Country Club and the boys 8th Region tournament will be at Henry County Country Club on Sept. 23.
NOTE: The 7th Region golf teams consist of: Beechwood, Boone County, Calvary Christian, Conner, Cooper, Covington Catholic, Covington Latin, Dixie Heights, Holy Cross, Notre Dame Academy, Ryle, Scott, Simon Kenton, St. Henry District, Villa Madonna, Walton-Verona.
NOTE: The 8th Region golf teams consist of: Augusta, 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, Williamstown.
STATE TOURNAMENT
The top three teams and next 10 individuals then qualify for the first round of the state tournament to be played on Sept. 29-30. Regions 5-8 will play at Pendleton Hills. The girls play Sept. 29 and the boys play Sept. 30. Regions 1-4 play at Calvert City Country Club and Regions 9-12 play at Winchester Country Club.
The top three teams from each region and then the next 10 best individuals then qualify for the final two rounds of the state tournament in Bowling Green at the Bowling Green Country Club. The girls final two rounds are Oct. 7-8 while the boys are Oct. 9-10.