Centerville boys eighth, girls ninth at state golf tourney

The opening day at the Division I state golf tournament was wiped out by weather, turning the event into an 18-hole shootout Saturday.

Not everybody was happy with that development — certainly not Centerville coach Matt Yux, who would have liked to have seen what his team could do with another crack at the Ohio State Scarlet Course.

Returning all five players who finished fifth last season, the Elks carded a 321 to place eighth, 18 shots behind champion Cincinnati St. Xavier.

Senior Cooper Jones carded a 3-over-par 75 for a tie for sixth to earn second-team all-state honors, but he finished by four-putting the 18th green for a triple-bogey.

“I think he just got in a hurry and was distracted by everyone around,” Yux said.

Junior Dhaivat Pandya shot 77 for a tie for 16th, while sophomores A.J. Cherubini (81) and Nick Clark (88) and senior Adam Velasco (88) were a tad off their games in cold and windy conditions.

The Elks had plenty of notable feats this season, including a district title and the GWOC crown.

“I felt we had a solid shot at taking first,” Yux said. “We did well at a lot of tournaments.”

State tourney director Brian Kelly didn’t like paring the event to one round for the first time since 2009, but he said there wasn’t much choice.

“When we evaluated it at 11:45 Friday, it was unplayable,” he said. “There was casual water everywhere. We couldn’t put on a tournament the caliber of what these kids deserve.”

Lakota East coach Jeff Coombs, whose team finished seventh, was among those who expressed dismay over the shortened event.

“I think the Ohio High School (Athletic Association) needs to do something where this tournament is two days, even if we have to play on Sunday,” he said.

Yux would be in favor of that, though he acknowledged Friday’s cancellation was proabably the right call.

“I could see how playing that day would be detrimental to the course,” he said.

The Centerville girls finished ninth with a 336 in their second consecutive state trip, 25 shots behind champion Olentangy Orange. Sophomore Kayla Ramsey shot 77 at the par-70 Gray Course to tie for 12th after going 89-89 last season.

“Last year, I didn’t play well at all,” she said. “To come back and play the way I usually play felt a lot better. It’s just being a year older and knowing what to expect for state. I felt more relaxed and calm.”

Sophomore Marissa Wenzler shot 80, senior Amanda Hayes 88, junior Megan Munn 91 and junior Molly Jasina 94.

“You could feel it throughout the day, ‘It’s just not happening,’ “ coach Michael Dalton said. “There were lot of bogeys. We were missing greens and a lot of putts — the things we’ve been doing well all year. But sometimes that happens in a one-day tournament.”

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