Aquinas’ Winslow wins Kansas 5A state golf tournament

EMPORIA, Kan. | St. Thomas Aquinas sophomore Joe Winslow looked on as Andover Central senior Alex Carney pumped his fist for the cheering crowd.

Carney had just made a 105-foot chip shot for eagle on the 17th hole of the Kansas 5A state golf tournament on Tuesday, and although Winslow went on to par the hole and maintain his hold on first place, that shot vaulted Carney into second and put him only 1 stroke behind Winslow.

The pressure was on, but Winslow — the defending state champion — remained calm. He knew he could at least birdie the par-4 18th hole.

“I wasn’t worried,” said Winslow, who said he’s played Emporia Municipal Golf Course at least six times in his life. “I’d been practicing the 18th hole quite a few times this week, and I was pretty confident in my driver.”

And though Winslow didn’t birdie that final hole — he parred it — that was all he needed. While Carney went on to bogey the hole and take third, Winslow finished with a 5-under 66 and clinched his second straight title.

“I figured if I could drive it in the fairway and hit it on the green,” Winslow said, “I had a good chance (of winning).”

And that’s what he did, as he reached the green in two shots and two-putted for the victory. It was the perfect ending to a mistake-free round of golf for Winslow, who didn’t three-putt or bogey a hole all day.

“He putted great and made some birdies,” said Aquinas coach Ryan Best. “You have to (make) those to shoot a score like that.”

Led by Winslow’s big day, Aquinas finished with a score of 293 and took third in the team competition. Andover Central won with a 290, while McPherson also finished at 293 points but won the tiebreaker for second place.

Senior Daniel Trout took 12th with a 2-over 73 for Aquinas, while Saints freshman Joe Stuckenschneider took 18th with a 3-over 74. Those two were the only other local top 20 finishers.

Class 3AKansas City Christian finished second in the team standings at the Kansas 3A state golf tournament at Tallgrass Country Club in Wichita. KC Christian shot a 337, topped only by Wichita Collegiate’s 314.

Joseph Lamber’s 80 led KC Christian and was good for ninth in the individual competition. Mark Nichols was tied for 11th at 81.

•Paola placed eighth, St. James 10th and De Soto was 11th in the Class 4A tournament at Prairie Trails Country Club in El Dorado. Clay Crawford of Paola finished in a tie for 18th.

submitted by TEREZ A. PAYLOR - 2009-05-26 23:04:02

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