IHSAA boys golf: Bloomington South couldn't find its stroke at state finals
CARMEL, Ind. — It just wasn't meant to be for Bloomington South boys golf.
The Panthers spent much of this season near the top of the Indiana High School Golf Coaches Association rankings. They were one of the top teams in the state, and after winning their first regional title since 2008, they entered the IHSAA state finals as one of the favorites.
After Tuesday's first round at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel, the Panthers sat in third place, nine strokes off the lead. It wasn't insurmountable, but South had work to do Wednesday.
And it just never came together. The Panthers ultimately fell to a sixth-place finish, at 55 strokes over par for the entire tournament.
South head coach Dustin Carver acknowledged his team didn't play its best golf in either round of the state finals, but he emphasized the big picture to his players after the tournament ended.
"Two rounds of golf don't define the season that we've had," Carver said. "Obviously we struggled today, but that's part of life and part of sports. It's just what they're going to do with it from here on out. It's a learning experience."
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Guerin Catholic pulled out the team championship by one stroke over Westfield, thanks to a clutch birdie in the final group on the 18th hole. The Shamrocks missed a putt in the same pairing that would've sent the teams to a playoff.
South was the third team in those groups, as they were the top three teams after Tuesday. But Westfield surged to a healthy lead early in the day (before settling down and Guerin Catholic's comeback) that left South in the dust.
Valparaiso sophomore Aidan Gutierrez took home the individual title by shooting two under par for the entire tournament. He was four strokes behind the leader entering day two, but shot five under Wednesday to blaze toward the top. He still needed three playoff holes to outlast Cathedral senior Ryan Ford.
A learning experience for players
Sophomore Landon "Happy" Gilmore led South by shooting seven over par between both rounds. He tied for 17th place overall.
Gilmore was tied with senior Jacob Paine at four over after Tuesday. He just never found his stroke at Prairie View.
"Personally, I struggled pretty much both days with my swing," Gilmore said. "I just had to grind everything out the whole week. I think the whole team feels that way. It definitely wasn't our best two days, which is unfortunate, because we thought we had a chance."
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Paine finished tied for 54th at 19 over. Everyone on the course battled the sweltering heat during the tournament, but Paine faced a more intense reaction to it. He got sick Tuesday night and had to make adjustments Wednesday to ensure his hydration and safety.
Sophomore Connor Byon played a solid round Wednesday, but it unraveled on the final hole with a triple bogey — his highest score on any hole on either day. That tough finish saw him end the tournament tied for 21st at nine over, and put him at four over on the day.
Junior Nick Bellush had trouble Wednesday and finished the day 13 strokes over par, and tied for 58th in the tournament at 20 over. Senior Dylan Barkley tied for 75th at 27 over par overall.
"Nick struggled there on a couple holes (near the midway point), and I knew that if he could get a solid round on the back side, we'd be OK with a podium finish," Carver said. "Connor was playing great — he really had just one bad hole all day. And then Happy was just kind of steady. Jake, with his situation, he just kind of withered away down at the end. But it's part of it. We didn't play well enough to be on the podium this year."
Looking back and looking forward
South will lose its two seniors, Paine and Barkley. But with Gilmore, Bellush, and Byon back next year, the Panthers will be in good shape for continued success.
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Though the finals didn't end the way they wanted, they still accomplished a lot this season. That regional title was no small deal for their program, and they continued a remarkable streak of advancing out of their sectional. That capped off a lot of regular season success, as they found another gear and played their best golf in the final third of the season.
The Panthers will now try to learn from this state finals experience.
Whether it's handling the heat, Prairie View strategy, or even playing in front of a lot of people, there is plenty for South to learn from.
"In the final group (on the 18th hole), that's by far the biggest crowd I've played in front of," Gilmore said. "Hopefully that'll help me in the future if I ever play in big crowds like that again. I'm just going to look back on this whole season and just take what I've learned and keep it going."
Paine got emotional reflecting on his senior season.
"Hell of a year. We battled through a lot to get to where we were," Paine said. "Played really good down the stretch. Definitely felt proud of what this team did."
Follow Herald-Times sports reporter Seth Tow on Twitter @SethTow, or email him at stow@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: IHSAA boys golf: Bloomington South couldn't find its stroke at state finals
