Notes from Day 2 of the 4A boys golf state tournament
Notes from Day 2 of the Class 4A boys golf state championship at Camas Meadows:
ACE OF THE DAY: Brendan McCauley of Olympia called his shot … well, sort of.
As he approached the 154-yard par-3 No. 13 hole at Camas Meadows, McCauley wondered out loud how cool it would be to hit a hole-in-one.
“Actually we were all saying it, my whole group,” McCauley said, referring to his playing partners Ahren Young of Kentridge and defending 4A state champion Kyle Cornett of Jackson. “We are all kind of joking ‘I’m going to hit it right in here.’ Then came my turn, and I hit it the ball. It went straight at the hole, hit and bounced twice and went in the hole.
“And then we were all freaking out.”
It was McCauley’s first hole-in-one, not just at the state tournament, or high school tournament or any high school round. It was his first hole-in-one ever. And he’s been playing competitive golf for about eight years.
The ace helped McCauley finish with a two-round total of 150, six over par, and in a tie for fifth place.
“I didn’t get off to a good start, in both rounds really,” McCauley said. “But I sort of put it all together on the back nine. And then I got that hole-in-one. It just made everything worthwhile.”
PUTTING IN TIME: 4A state champions Brian Humphreys of Camas said Wednesday’s win was a product of a lot of hard work.
“This year was a real turning point for me because I spent a lot of time on swing fixes,” Humphreys said. “And now that I have it dialed in, it was good to go out and have a free swing.”
And there was additional work he put in since losing to Union’s Ian Spicer at last fall’s district tournament.
“We got free (driving range) tokens and a round a week (of golf), and I really took advantage of that,” he said.
BETTER NEXT YEAR: Apart from the weather, Leta Meyer was pleased with how things went at not only the 4A boys state tournament at Camas Meadows, but all four Southwest Washington courses that hosted state tournaments. Meyer is Heritage’s athletic director and a WIAA Executive Board member.
If there is one thing she would like more of next year — apart from sunshine — would be course volunteers. So if you love to get outside and be around some of the top high school golfers in the state, mark May 28-29, 2014 on your calendar when Southwest Washington is planning to again host the 4A and 3A state tournaments.
While the final sites won’t be formalized until they are approved by the WIAA Executive Board early next year, the tentative plan is to have the 4A boys and girls switch sites next year, and the same for the 3A boys and girls.
