Springfield’s Wells ties for 7th at state golf

Springfield junior Lucas Wells learned something about competing in the state golf tournament.

You’ve got to relax.

Wells found that out in 2016 after qualifying for the tournament as a sophomore. Now a junior, he knows to take everything in stride.

After completing his first round on the Ohio State University’s Scarlet Course, Wells went back to Springfield to watch his Wildcats play against Wayne in one of the biggest high school football contests of Week 9 — although he only stayed for three quarters.

“I knew what to expect this year, and you’ve got to go out there and have fun at the end of the day,” Wells said.

Wells finished tied for seventh. He shot 2-over-par 74 on day one but struggled a bit on day two, posting a 77.

Well struggled around the hole, but so did many in the tournament.

“The greens were tough and pretty fast,” Springfield coach Mike Schilling said. “But it’s a beautiful course.”

Wells, who calls Springfield Country Club his home course, knows his putter wasn’t at its best.

“I hit a lot of good shots, but I just didn’t make the money putts,” he said. “I think I made just one putt over six feet in the two days.”

With the greens moving quickly, Well said he had to approach putting as if he didn’t want to make a putt.

“You can’t really try to make a putt. You’ve got to try and get good speed on it and know that it’s going to break a little more when they’re quicker,” he said. “You just got to make sure you’re not too rambunctious and hit it too hard.”

Wells entered the state tournament after a regular season that didn’t live up to his expectations. He’s hopeful that will change next season as he ramps up for his third trip to state

“I was playing scared [before tournament time], trying not to play bad, instead of going out and playing well and putting up a good score,” he said.

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