From California to the cornfields: Jason Bannister loves golfing in Indiana

There's a California kid in the final four of the Bloomington City Golf Tournament.

In its 94-year history, that might be a first as it is a bit outside the usual drawing area for the tourney's participants. But the Bloomfield area has been a second, summer home for Jason Bannister since he could remember.

His dad's side of the family built a homestead in Greene County off Indiana 43 and it's been their quiet getaway spot from SoCal's bustle.

Bannister loved it here so much it's where he started his college search. Hoping for a spot at Indiana, he ended up at the University of Southern Indiana, which is transitioning from NCAA Division II to Division I.

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"USI gave me an opportunity I couldn't pass up," Bannister said. "And I think it's the best thing that could have happened to me in golf.

"It's a great school, a great fit and I've got Jace as a teammate and I couldn't ask for a better teammate there."

That would be Jace Day, Bloomington North grad, defending champion in the Men's bracket of the City Tournament and his opponent in the semifinal round which begins Saturday at 7:30 a.m.

This is Bannister's first run in the City Tournament, with his schedule opening up this year to allow him to do it.

"I'm glad I finally got to play in it," he said. "There's not a lot of match play events left in amateur golf. And the history of the event, too, it's a special event to play in."

Home away from home

Bannister grew up in Laguna Niguel, which is on the far south end of the Los Angeles metropolitan area in the San Joaquin Hills. His high school, Dana Hills, has 'Dolphins' as a mascot and is located just five blocks or so from the Pacific Ocean. It has an outdoor pool and most of the main parking lot is shaded by a bank of solar panels.

Bannister's been good at golf for a long time and on his trips to Indiana, would play in local junior events throughout the area. He capped his high school career by winning the individual 2021 California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section championship to earn a spot in the state tourney.

It's been an interesting experience adjusting his game to both climes.

"I definitely would say the biggest difference is the wind," Bannister said. "The wind out here is more prevalent. It blows harder in California, but I feel like the wind affects the ball more out here with the humidity and the denser air and you've got to get used to a little bit of elevation.

"And obviously, the turf types. I'm used to putting on Poa annua greens, where it's four o'clock even now at noon and they're bumpy and it's kind of like playing plinko on the greens. I love bent grass and coming out here, I feel like I gained a lot of confidence in my putting, which then takes a lot of pressure off the rest of my game."

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In college, the varsity of courses he played only got greater.

"It definitely allowed you to learn how to hit different shots," Bannister said. "It teaches you how to be really, really creative with hitting shots into the green.

"It's definitely fun. I'm studying turf, so I'm already into it. I enjoy the challenge."

As for Cascades ...

It's been a learning process for a Cascades course that has brought some unique challenges for him to figure out. Coming off a 65 at the Medalist, his golf ball ricocheted off a lot more bark in the first round of the qualifier.

"Playing the Medalist four weeks ago, when it was still the cold and rainy season, it played completely different than playing it two weeks ago when it was not getting any rain," Bannister said. "It played almost like a links style golf course.

"And for a short little golf course, it's definitely got its teeth and it showed it today (last Sunday). If you hit good shots, you're going to be rewarded but if you hit a bad shot, you're going to have to work for it."

As Bannister noted, it's not a bomb and gouge course, but one that asks a golfer to pick a target and hit it. That goes for the small greens on the Quarry-Pine layout.

"You definitely have to be good ball striker," he said. "On most courses even munis in California, (the greens are) 30 paces by 30 paces. These are postage stamps in comparison.

"It's fun and a different style since there are not a lot of shaped greens. But this course is starting to grow on me a little bit."

Eagle vs. Eagle

As far as their college careers went last season, Bannister, the freshman, had the better of it vs. Day, a sophomore.

Over 26 rounds in 11 tournaments, Day averaged 75.69 while Bannister came in at 74.0. Bannister was ranked 244 by Golfweek and Day 492. Bannister's best two-round score was 144 and is best three-round tourney was 211. Day wasn't far behind at 145 and 214.

More: Different strokes: How City Golf Tourney, Cascades have changed in 30 years

Just a reminder, however, this is match play. And Day is on his home turf. He covered the front nine in 31 on Sunday.

"It'll be fun and a really good match coming down to the end," Bannister said. "That's the way it should be."

"It's tough coming in as the defending champ," Day said. "Nobody wants to be Virginia losing to UMBC or whatever.

"It's very different being the hunted instead of the hunter. I feel like I suit the hunter role well. I play sometimes with a chip on my shoulder and that does me well to kind of power me though some tough moments."

While he's trying to keep Day from becoming the first repeat winner since Mitch Oard in 2013-14, the other pairing, not to be overlooked, is second seeded Doak Henry Jr. vs. No. 6 Brad McGlothlin.

Henry, at 37, is the elder stateman of the foursome, the rest still under 30. McGlothlin, 28, is making his first appearance in the semifinals while Henry is there for the fourth year in a row, winning it all in 2019 and finishing second in 2020.

McGlothlin made it with a 2 and 1 upset of third seeded Logan Vernon in the quarterfinals.

Seniors preview

Defending champ Jim Alexander has certainly been one of the more consistent players of late in this field, making his third straight semifinals appearance and looking to make the finals for a third year in a row, too.

No one's done that since George Finley went four times in a row from 2004-07.

Meanwhile, the field's other mainstay, second-seeded Gary EuDaly, winner of four Senior titles, three since 2015, is in the other semifinal.

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He meets No. 6 Matt Till, while Alexander's semifinal opponent is No. 5 Tim Gillespie while. Both Till and Gillespie are looking for their first crack at the finals.

Super Seniors

Defending champ Ike Martin is after his record 13th City Tournament title and a win in the semifinals over fifth seeded Jeff Smith would give him a 16th title match appearance (not including his loss in the 1969 junior final), just one short of Phil Talbot's record 17.

It's also a big weekend for Martin, who is headed into the Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame on Friday.

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This will be Smith's first appearance in the semis as a first-time player and the same goes for seventh-seeded Don Chastain, who is also taking on a tourney veteran in third seeded Rory Brown. Brown is still seeking his first Championship flight trophy after making it to the Seniors final three times.

When Martin has made it to the finals, he has won it six straight times, dating back to 2002.

Contact Jim Gordillo at jgordillo@heraldt.com and follow on Twitter @JimGordillo.

BLOOMINGTON CITY GOLF TOURNAMENT

SATURDAY'S TEE TIMES

PHIL TALBOT MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP

7:30 a.m.: [1] Jace Day vs. [4] Jason Bannister; [2] Doak Henry vs. [6] Brad McLaughlin

PAUL GRAY SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

7:40: [1] Jim Alexander vs. [5] Tim Gillespie; [2] Gary EuDaly vs. [6] Matt Till

ROSS RUSH SUPER SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

7:50: [1] Ike Martin vs. [5] Jeff Smith; [3] Rory Brown vs. [7] Don Chastain

MEN'S REGULAR

8:00, First flight: [1] Seth Stanik vs. [5] George Adams; [2] Simon Deliyannis vs. [6] Matt Jacobs

8:10, Second flight: [1] Darin Woodley vs. [4] Nate Herr; [2] Robert Wise vs. [6] Justin Stacks

8:20, Third flight: [1] Ryan Belcher vs. [4] Hunter Desilets; [6] Domenic Santarossa vs. [7] Bobby Duvall

8:30, Fourth flight: [1] Young Oh vs. [4] Anthony Willis; [3] Brian Wise vs. [7] Bryan Rafano

8:40, Fifth flight: [1] Joe Whorter Jr vs. [4] Mac Biever; [2] Wayne Thacker vs. [6] Kevin Greve

SENIOR REGULAR

9:00, First flight: [1] Burke Geene vs. [4] Craig Spanburg; [3] Joe Davis vs. [7] Dan Smith

9:10, Second flight: [1] Drew Antilla vs. [5] Rick Scherer; [2] JD Cowden vs. [6] Ramesh Vankataraman

SUPER SENIOR REGULAR

9:20, First flight: [1] Steve McDonald vs. [5] Doak Henry Sr.; [2] Kirby Gann vs. [3] Marty Hutsell

9:30, Second flight: [1] Gary Walters vs. [5] Mark Deal; [2] Charlie Gill vs. [3] Don Rodda

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: From California to the cornfields: Bannister loves golfing in Indiana