By Perry Swack
The 3rd Region has found itself among the leaders at the Leachman Buick GMC boys’ state golf tournament over the last few years. 2020 was no different. Greenwood – led by freshman Michael Lang – finished fourth overall after shooting a combined two-day score of 633. Lang led the way for the Gators, turning in rounds of 77 and 72 respectively. His 72 (even par) on the final day was tied for the second-best score of the day behind Highlands’ Justin Gabbard (68). Gator teammate Michael Lang finished T35 after shooting a 157 and Nathan Oliver shot 80-81 for a 161 to tie for 47th place. Mason Williams tied for 59th place with a 166 and Jaxon Moss shot a two-day 174 to finish solo 83rd.
Greenwood finished in second place in 2016 and had not qualified for the state tournament as a team since that season. The Gators shot a 324 in day one which was good enough for fifth place in the team standings. However, a final day 309 (the second-best score of the day) propelled the team to finish fourth. Greenwood was particularly efficient on the Par-3s, where the team was +9 over the two days. The team was only +3 on Par-3 holes until the final day’s back nine, where they shot +6 on the final two Par-3 holes. Despite shooting a higher score on those Par-3 holes, the Gators had three players shoot in the 30s on that back nine. The success of those final nine holes boosted Greenwood to its fourth-place finish. Jacob Lang really turned in on, shooting a 1-under 34 with three birdies en route to his final-day 72.
Bowling Green finished fifth in the 2019 state tournament. Although it did not qualify as a team in 2020, sophomore Charlie Reber qualified as an individual and turned in the best finish of all 3rd Region golfers. Behind five birdies, Reber turned in rounds of 75 and 73 for a 148 and finished tied for eighth overall. His front-nine play was especially impressive as the sophomore played the front nine in even-par on day one and 1-under on day two. Reber finished 16 shots better in 2020 after tying for 64th place with a two-day total of 164 in 2019.
Chase Wilson of Franklin-Simpson tied for 32nd place (+12) after finishing in the top ten in 2019. The junior – who won the 3rd Region Tournament last week – played well throughout the week with four birdies, but three double bogeys kept Wilson from threatening for the title. Franklin teammate Dalton Fiveash was one shot behind Wilson at +13 after turning in rounds of 74 and 83. The senior’s 2-over 74 on day one included four birdies – three on the back nine. 2019 3rd Region champion Trevor Isenberg of Monroe County tied for 68th place with a two-day total of 168, while South Warren senior Chase Hodges finished tied for 75th behind a 171.
Marshall County senior Jay Nimmo won the individual title in a playoff over Cooper junior Rylan Wotherspoon. Nimmo repeated as the state champion after shooting 3-under par overall in both 2019 and 2020. The Mississippi State commit became the first repeat winner since 2012-13 when West Jessamine’s Fred Allen Meyer won back-to-back trophies. Wotherspoon was looking to become the first northern Kentucky golfer to win the state title since 1982. The junior was on top of the points standings for the Kentucky Mr. Golf award coming into the tournament after finishing as a first team All-State selection last season.
Trinity took home the team title with a two-day total of 614, four shots clear of Taylor County’s 618. The Shamrocks were led by Michael Long’s two-day total of 150 (+6). It was Trinity’s first state golf title since 2003, when head coach James Chaney was a freshman for the Shamrocks.
