High School Golf: Oak Hall boys, Trenton girls win districts; Hillan, Huber capture crowns
It was a long day from Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida on Wednesday as the P.K. Yonge Blue Wave hosted the District 5-1A boys and girls golf tournament.
For P.K. Yonge sophomore Katelyn Huber, who won the girls' individual title, her day started at 9 a.m., and didn't come to a close until after 5:30 p.m.
"I probably could've taken naps between holes," Huber joked about the long day.
But when all was said and done, it was she and Trinity Catholic senior Nathan Hillan who grabbed individual titles, while Oak Hall's boys and Trenton's girls captured the team titles.
Here are takeaways from Wednesday's action on the fairways.
Nathan Hillan's short game comes through
Hillan says he's played Mark Bostick Golf Course about 10 times.
"It helped me know where to miss it," Hillan said of his experience on the course. "Helped me position off the tee and know what clubs to hit."
Hillan's experience on the course may or may not have been a big factor in his district title win. But what was a big factor was the Trinity Catholic senior's success in the short game.
Hillan finished the afternoon having shot a 2-over 72.
"Definitely didn't drive it great," Hillan said. "Putting and chipping really came in clutch today. That's what kept me in it."
On Hillan's heels was P.K. Yonge senior Ian Lentz, who finished with a 77, while Trenton junior Dax Becker (+8) and Oak Hall sophomore Tanmay Chandra (+9) posted top-4 finishes.
Considering Trinity Catholic didn't finish in the top-3 as a team, Hillan's win was necessary to punch his ticket to the Region 2-1A tournament, which is set to be hosted at the Timacaun Golf Club on Oct. 31.
"Gonna prepare like any other tournament and work hard," Hillan said. "Get driver and iron straightened out and it should be a good day."
Katelyn Huber overcomes mental challenges to capture title
When asked which part of her game was the strongest in her win on Wednesday afternoon, Huber was quick to commend her mental approach.
At one point in the afternoon, there were gaps of three or four holes as the pairings ahead of Huber crawled through the course.
"Just tried to stay patient throughout the round," Huber said. "Just tried to take it one shot at a time, one hole at a time because I just couldn't really get into a good routine and couldn't really build any momentum."
If that's the case, then Huber could've had everyone fooled.
The P.K. Yonge sophomore went into the district tournament with the goal of shooting under par at her home course. And on Wednesday she did just that as she shot a 1-under 69.
"My mental game was really tested today," Huber said. "I'm just really happy to have been able to stay patient, not get super frustrated with how long I had to wait. But it was fun."
Chasing Huber was Trenton senior Kearsten Duke (+17), Trinity Catholic freshman Olivia Petrella (+21) and Oak Hall junior Ava Van Vorst (+26).
Like Hillan, Huber's individual title is what punched her ticket to the Region 2-1A tournament, which is set to be hosted at the LPGA International's Jones Course on Oct. 31.
And looking ahead, it's Huber's short game that she hopes to focus on.
"Short game is really what's going to be important," Huber said. "I've already started to work on it and sharpen it up."
Chandra, Fetrow, Ezzell and Katz help Eagles secure team title
While Hillan might've led the field on Wednesday, Oak Hall's quartet came through to help secure the district crown for the Eagles.
Made up of Chandra, freshman Jackson Fetrow, junior Emory Ezzell and junior Lucas Katz, Oak Hall finished with a team total of 328, which was 22 strokes better than second-place P.K. Yonge.
Chandra led the Eagles with a 9-over, while Fetrow (+11), Ezzell (+13) and Katz (+15) each turned in top-7 finishes.
Taking third in the boys' team competition was Chiefland, which shot 369.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Gainesville area high school golfers come out on top in district play
