Blue Valley West’s Yonke cruises to his second straight Kansas 6A golf title

Source: The Star

DAVID EULITT | Kansas City Star

Blue Valley West’s Curtis Yonke winced after missing an eagle putt, but little else went wrong for him as he won a second straight state title.

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TOPEKA | On the eve of the Kansas 6A state golf tournament, Blue Valley West senior Curtis Yonke spoke of how winning a second consecutive state title would really punctuate his varsity career.

It would leave no doubt of his stature in the high school golf ranks here.

Well, Yonke certainly left no doubt — not over the last two years and especially not Tuesday.

With a 3-under 68 and the first bogey-free round of his life, Yonke won the 6A state tournament by 4 strokes at Shawnee Country Club and repeated as state champion.

“It was fun to leave this way,” he said afterward.

Topeka Washburn Rural won the team championship with a 304. Blue Valley North placed second with a 305, and Shawnee Mission East (309) won a scorecard playoff over Blue Valley for third place.

Yonke, meanwhile, was the only golfer in the field to shoot under par. After winning the 6A state title last year in a three-way playoff, and after winning his regional tournament last week in another playoff, Yonke had no need for dramatics Tuesday.

Coaches often say that with the one-day, 18-hole format of the Kansas state golf tournaments, anybody or any team is capable of having a good day at the right time and winning. Two straight state titles is a different story.

“It just proves I’m a competitor and that I can do it back to back — it’s not one of those one-time things,” Yonke said.

Really, though, he didn’t have much to prove. Yonke ends with six first-place finishes in 10 tournaments this season, including wins in the final four events, and will play golf for Kansas State.

“He’s the best competitor I’ve seen,” BV West coach Kevin Bandy said. “… I’m telling you, I’ve never seen a kid work as much as he does (on his game).”

Washburn Rural’s Brax Ball and BV North junior Harry Higgs were Yonke’s nearest challengers Tuesday, each shooting 1-over 72s. Ball won a playoff for second place, leaving Higgs to settle for third.

Higgs, the 6A state runner-up last year, was hoping for more. But he was more disappointed about BV North finishing 1 stroke off the lead.

“I wanted the team to win,” Higgs said. “I’d take third place, (and) if the team had won, it would have been a successful day.”

SM East’s Chase Lucas placed fifth with a 73, Blue Valley’s Austin Johnson was seventh with a 74, BV North’s Ross Thornton placed eighth with a 74 and SM East’s Grant Burnside took ninth with a 76.

submitted by RYAN YOUNG - 2009-05-26 23:05:01