Purples, Davenport run away with 3rd Region Boys Golf Championship at Indian Hills Country Club
By Perry Swack
Consistent. The Bowling Green Purples’ golf team has been one thing all season long: consistent. Victories against the state’s best in tournaments like the KIT and the KGCA All-State showed us just how talented Adam Whitt’s team is this season. Despite a tough field at Indian Hills Country Club, the Purples were favored to win consecutive region championships. After 18 holes, their mission is accomplished. Not only did Bowling Green win back-to-back titles as it did in 2018-2019, the program blew away the field in the process, winning by an astounding 21 strokes. Dating back to 1998 (when KHSAA began publishing region tournament results), no 3rd Region champion has won the tournament by 21 or more strokes. The largest margin of victory before today had been Franklin-Simpson’s 20-stroke title over second-place Bowling Green in 2017.
Senior Ben Davenport entered the tournament coming off a second-place finish at the VanMeter Cup. As a junior, he placed third in this very tournament. Bogey-free through 15 holes, Davenport stood on the 16th tee with a one-shot lead over BGIT winner and Greenwood senior Jacob Lang. Lang entered the tournament with three-consecutive region runner-up finishes (not to mention a fourth-place finish as an eighth grader in 2019). Playing in the group ahead of Lang – and teammate Reed Richey – Davenport birdied 16 and 17 to push his lead to three strokes and eventually four after Lang finished birdie-double bogey. Richey closed in third. After close calls throughout the season, Davenport delivered and helped the Purples get back to the state tournament.
Although golf is an individual sport, it is played as a team sport at the high school level. While Davenport and Richey finished first and third, the Purples clinched their historical victory because fellow seniors Ty Wilson and Graham Hightower finished tied for seventh (T7) and tied for twelfth (T12). Four golfers in the top twelve is an incredible display of consistency.
Greenwood and Glasgow each seemed destined for second place at various points throughout the day. A second-place finish for the Scotties would have been their first as a team since 2016. Despite entering the 18th hole a shot behind Glasgow, Greenwood managed to play the final hole two shots better than the Scotties to clinch a spot in the semi-state tournament that will begin next week.
While Bowling Green finished with a 290 (+6) and Greenwood at 311 (+27), Glasgow took third at 312 (+28) and Allen County-Scottsville placed fourth at 315 (+31). Monroe County shot a 324 (+40) and Metcalfe County a 326 (+42) to round out the top six.
The individual top ten looked as follows:
Ben Davenport, BG 66 (-5)
Jacob Lang, Greenwood 70 (-1)
Reed Richey, BG 71 (E)
Baron Rutledge, ACS 72 (+1)
Eli Stamper, ACS 72 (+1)
Layton Richey, Greenwood 74 (+3)
Ty Wilson, BG 75 (+4)
Grant Page, Monroe County 76 (+5)
Bo Shelton, Glasgow 76 (+5)
Jacob Ryan, Monroe County 76 (+5)
Bowling Green, Greenwood, and the above players not on BG or GHS qualified for the semi-state next week. Furthermore, Glasgow’s Jase Cook (77) and Griffin Jackson (78), Monroe’s Ben Shirley (78), South Warren’s Miles Deaton (78), and Barren County’s Kieler Keeney (80) also will participate next week. Trojan senior Jameson Corbin (81) qualified as the alternate.
Teams from Regions 1-4 will travel to Calvert City for the semi-state round before the top three teams and top 15 players will advance to Bowling Green Country Club for the final round of the state event on October 6.
