Boys Golf: Worthington Kilbourne’s Owen Cotterman putting together memorable season
Owen Cotterman has three things on his mind when he lines up a putt. Otherwise, he clears his mind of any unwanted distractions.
It has served him well as a senior on the Worthington Kilbourne boys golf team, breaking the program record with a 66 in the DeSales Invitational on Aug. 20 at Chapel Hill.
“The three main things I consider are trying to match the speed of the putt as much as possible, keeping my tempo really stable and the line,” he said. “Speed usually matters more than the line. If you miss your line a little bit, you can make up for it with a tap in if you’re matching the speed well.”
Cotterman earned OCC-Capital Division Player of the Year honors, leading the Wolves to their seventh league title and first since 2020.
“The boy is rolling the ball,” coach Gavin Meeks said. “I mean the kid can putt. I’ve always thought he was a pretty solid ball-striker. Sometimes he would lose a little control (with his) driver and maybe hook it once in a while. But this year, he is a sharp-shooter with the wedges. Even when he’s not, he’s rolling the ball. If it’s 20 feet or inside, he’s got a chance to make (the putt).”
Cotterman averaged 74.25 in league play to lead Kilbourne, which went 23-1 in OCC-Capital action to beat out Big Walnut (19-5), Dublin Scioto (16-8), Westerville North (13-11), Westerville South (7-17), Delaware (6-18) and Canal Winchester (0-24).
“I swing the putter with my shoulders, so my tempo stays really consistent and I let my arms hang,” he said. “Usually, if you putt with your arms, it can lead to some instability. My tempo has gotten me to a point where I can consistently match the speed of a lot of greens and put longer putts closer to the hole and give myself a chance to make birdies or pars.”
Cotterman was medalist in the second (73), third (72) and fourth (76) league rounds.
“His mental game has improved a thousand-fold,” Meeks said. “Last year, in situations where he got it going sideways a little bit, he would never recover and end up shooting 84 or 85. This year, at tryouts (at) Delaware Golf Club, he was 7-over through five holes and wound up shooting a 75. So, he can get it back. That’s a really big change for him.”
Cotterman just missed qualifying for the Division I district tournament last season. He shot a 76 at sectional to tie three others for the final district berth, but Marion Harding’s Jacob Beaschler advanced by winning the third playoff hole.
“I felt like he deserved to get out last year because he played really well,” Meeks said. “It really was (heartbreaking). That might have a been a turning point (for him mentally). Rather than be despondent about it, he said, ‘It happens. It’s golf and I’m going to come back and play better next year.’ ”
Cotterman worked on all facets of his game in the offseason, hoping that he’ll be able to play at the college level. He’s choosing between Ashland, Wittenberg and Hope.
“I guess my main thing this season is staying pretty consistent,” he said. “I worked on my iron game more than anything and I’ve improved my ball-striking. My short game has always been one of the better parts of my game. I don’t hit the ball incredibly far, but I’m pretty consistent off the tee as well. I worked on every aspect.”
Jack Dougherty (80.75) and Simon Abbott (81.25) were second-team all-league for Kilbourne, and Aidan Gallogly (84.75) and Van Ferguson (86) were third-team all-league.
Abbott shot a 73 to finish second in the Lancaster Invitational on Sept. 6 at Lancaster Golf Club as the Wolves (323) were third of 14 teams behind DeSales (300) and Grove City (319).
“For the most part, (Abbott’s) consistency has improved,” Meeks said. “For him to go out and shoot a 73 (at Lancaster) is phenomenal because that course is hard. It’s a difficult track and he played really well. It was wet and the ball didn’t travel far. (Abbott and Cotterman) can both shoot 70 to 75 and have a shot at (qualifying for district) as well. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
@ThisWeekRich
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Boys Golf: Kilbourne’s Cotterman putting together memorable season
