Imagine feeling the cool breeze of the fall weather as you step up to the tee box. You hear the faint noises of other players hitting golf balls all around you. You place your ball down on the tee, line up your club, and swing with all your strength, praying you hit it just right so that you can have an easier next shot.
This was the setting for the GRC boys golf team as they competed in the State tournament in Bowling Green. The team of seniors Clay Turley, Jacob Settles, and Jace Patrick, junior Evan Taylor, and 7th grader Knox Taylor placed 6th overall in the state team category.
All five players played in two practice rounds on Wednesday and Thursday, then played 18 holes on Friday for a score of 318, placing the team 4th.
Saturday they played another 18 hole round for a combined score of 329, placing them 6th overall.
Senior Jacob Settles tied for 7th place in the individual category at state with players Cam Roberts from Pikevlle, Braydon Bond from Madison Central, and Keith Levi from LaRue County. In 2022, Settles placed 17th in the individual category as a junior and will be continuing his golf career at the University of Kentucky on scholarship.
“As a team, we did not play our best at state,” said Patrick. “We shot our two worst scores of the year as a team on both days. The most important thing though, is that we made it to state.”
This is Jace’s 6th year on the varsity team and looking back on the season, he has fond memories. “My favorite memory from this season was chipping in for birdie on hole 18 in the regional championship,” he said. “It was a moment I will remember for the rest of my life.”
Jace will continue his golf career at Morehead State University and said he strives to win a conference championship one day, while scoring average scores of 72 or better.
The bond the team formed through the years is strong and their success on the course showed it.
“I’ll probably miss my teammates the most,” said senior Clay Turley. “Even though I didn’t get to play that much with them, they still made the last six years fun and enjoyable.”
Although the players were not happy with how they played at state, they were proud of themselves with how far they made it this season.
Everyone is sad to see the seniors leave but are excited to see how they do as they move on in the next few years of their golf careers.
VIEW LIBBY TAYLOR’S PHOTO GALLERY OF STATE
