Manhattan High golf 3rd at Centennial League tournament
May 5—The key to Monday's Centennial League tournament, boys' golf coach Brad Ficke told his team, was to forget the math.
If someone started hot, Ficke said, don't think about what your score could be. Think about what it is, and what you need it to be after the current hole.
During Manhattan's third-place finish at Village Greens Golf Course in Meriden, however, Ficke could tell the Indians, who shot 328, counted too much. Several players started strong Monday, but instead of staying present, they couldn't help themselves.
"They started doing the math," Ficke said. "They started thinking , 'If I do this and this, maybe I can shoot that."'
Owen Braxmeyer, who shot 80 and tied for eighth, was Ficke's prime example. Ficke said Braxmeyer shot 2-under through 10 holes, but beginning with Hole 11, Braxmeyer started missing greens, which made his putts harder, which drove his score up.
Braxmeyer shot 46 (par is 36) on the back nine, spoiling his good start and hindering the Indians' chances of catching first-place Washburn Rural (312).
"I think the guys really underestimate pars," Ficke said. "If any of those guys would have parred every hole, they would have won by two strokes."
Miles Braxmeyer came the closest at 6-over (78), which landed him in a tie for third, six strokes behind medalist Luke Leonetti of Washburn Rural. The younger Braxmeyer — and youngest Indian to play more than one round this season — has been Manhattan's top scorer for two straight tournaments.
Miles shot a 79 on Friday in Hutchinson, and after Monday's round, he's the only Manhattan player to shoot below 80 in consecutive rounds this season.
His secret?
"I just think that he doesn't complicate the game," Ficke said. "The guys who probably have as much talent as he does have a couple big holes in a round and let something get away. Miles really doesn't make those big mistakes. The way he treats the game is such an advantage to him."
Miles' older teammates could learn something from his approach. Ficke said Grant Snowden (82, 12th), Jonathan Wefald (88, tied for 19th) and Trey Sauder (89, tied for 21st) all fell victim to their knack for turning a bad hole worse at Village Greens.
That must change between now and regionals, which begins May 17 at Topeka Country Club, if the Indians want to return to the Class 6A state tournament. Ficke will spend the next two tournaments — the Junction City and Emporia invitationals — tinkering with his lineup. Cole Schmitt, who tied Wefald for 19th, was the Indians' sixth golfer on Monday, but Ficke said he has "five or six" golfers competing for Manhattan's final two starting spots.
At this point, Ficke said, the Indians are too familiar with Manhattan Country Club and Stagg Hill Golf Course to assign practice rounds much merit. So these final tournaments will serve as more than mere tune-ups.
With so much riding on two rounds, the Indians' fortitude will be tested at Junction City, where the Indians will begin tournament play at 3 p.m. Thursday. Ficke doesn't know what the back end of his lineup will look like in two weeks, but he's sure of the advice he'd give those vying for a spot: No more math.
"I don't want them thinking ahead or behind," Ficke said. "I want them stepping up to a hole and thinking, 'What am I going to do to par this hole? Regardless of what happened on the last hole or what I think will happen on the next hole, this hole is my challenge."'
