Lake Travis senior Brian Comegys shoots 70 to open 6A state tourney; Westlake No. 1 after one round
GEORGETOWN — On a different day, a double-bogey on the 12th hole of the state golf championship might have derailed Lake Travis senior Brian Comegys.
But not Monday. The new-and-improved Cavalier senior absorbed the blow and kept playing. It turned out to be his only mishap as he shot a 2-under 70 on the first day of the Class 6A golf tournament at Legacy Hills Golf Club.
That puts Comegys within two strokes of the lead when the tournament concludes Tuesday.
A four-year member of the Lake Travis golf team, this marks the first time he has reached state. When he asked what improvements he has made over the past few years, he answered with a single word.
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"Composure.
"No matter what, I wanted to keep it all together and finish the round strong," Comegys continued. "Skill-wise, I've improved with practice over the years. But skills are affected by your composure, too."
It was also a good day for Westlake, which is seeking its fifth straight state boys golf title. The Chaps find themselves No. 1 in team standings with a 12-stroke lead over Plano West. Their combined score of 287 is 1-under par..
Vandegrift, which was expected to give Westlake a strong challenge, is 22 shots off the pace after the first day. Andrew Tan had a good round for the Vipers, finishing with a 1-under 71. Teammate Tyler Blackwell shot a 2-over 74.
Comegys will pack his golf bag and head to Abilene Christian next year. On Monday he combined four birdies with his double-bogey. While Lake Travis failed to qualify a boys team at state, he qualified as an individual after finishing third at the Class 6A Region IV tournament with a 70-76 146.
"Lake Travis has always been known as one of those Austin powerhouses (in all sports)," he said. He concluded his round by tapping in with a short birdie on the 18th hole.
Comegys said he has shot a personal-best 67 on two occasions — at Champions Course at Weeks Park in Wichita Falls and the other at Brownwood Country Club.
Comegys was not finished when his round was over. He went back to the course to watch his cousin, Plano West's Matt Comegys complete his round. He would match his cousin with a 2-under 70.
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As for Westlake, this is a special time for senior Grant Feldman, who is on the Chaps' first team for the first time. Bound for Creighton University in the fall, he helped the team's cause by shooting a 1-over 73. Chaparral senior Zach Kingsland (70), Sean-Karl Dobson (71), Jacob Sosa (73) and Grant Yerger (77) rounded out the scoring for Westlake.
"It would be a special win for me if I can get my first state championship ring," Feldman said. "To win five in a row, that would be a really cool thing to do. ... If we play our best, we shouldn't have an issue being able to compete with everyone."
Westlake coach Callan Nokes said his team was "very resilient" on a breezy day with temperatures in the low 90s.
"The first day is all about getting in position to win the golf tournament," Nokes said. "You can't win it on the first day, but you can certainly lose it if you play poorly and I thought our guys did a great job of being solid all day and fighting through adversity."
Garrett Endicott of San Antonio Clark is the first-day leader after firing a 4-under 68. Keller's Daniel Choi is one stroke back.
On a separate note, Nokes said he is committed to coaching the golf team in 2023 but is unsure whether he will continue after that.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Westlake golf leads state tournament after first round of play
