IHSAA State Golf: Happy Gilmore in contention but Bloomington South struggles late

CARMEL — Bloomington South got off to a strong start but faded near the end of what turned out to be nearly six-hour rounds to open the IHSAA boys' golf state finals on Tuesday at Prairie View.

The Panthers had a 317 and sit 10th, 13 shots off the lead while Happy Gilmore is tied for second as an individual.

Round 2 for South will tee off on Wednesday on No. 1 starting from 8-8:40 a.m. The team will be paired with players from Homestead, Center Grove and Hamilton Southeastern.

Here's what we learned after Round 1:

Happy in contention, but hardly contented

Gilmore had an eagle 3 on the par-5 third hole after driving the green and peaked at 4-under after three straight birdies on 11-12-13 to tie for the lead. From there, it was a tough finish, but the Ball State signee is still in it.

"It's hard to say I'm disappointed with shooting 2-under, but I'm right now, I'm not very happy with it," Gilmore said. "I asked (assistant coach Darin Woodley) on 12 where everyone was at. I knew I was playing well with the conditions and I couldn't imagine anyone being too much better. I was 2-under with two dumb bogeys."

He had a welcome birdie on 12. "I threw a dart into 12 and made the putt, which was one of the hardest putts of my life," Gilmore said. "It was about four feet but straight downhill. That was scary."

The rest of the course wasn't so kind and the fast greens and tough pin placements continued to be a challenge.

"They had the course set up perfectly for state," Gilmore said. "The rough's thick. The fairways are tight. Greens are running. So I can't really complain."

Gilmore had some more bad luck on 17. He struck a 'stinger' 2-iron off the tee, then his ball struck a yard marker in the middle of the fairway. Yes, middle of the fairway. The ball popped straight up, leaving about 60 more yards to the green than he was expecting.

"Worst break of my life," Gilmore said. He parred the hole after two putts and parred 18.

Braydon Miller from Fairfield leads the field with a 4-under 68. He was sixth last year. Gilmore is tied with Westfield junior Jake Cesare and Zionsville senior Andrew Wall. Defending champ Leo Wessel is tied for ninth (74) and 2022 champ Aiden Gutierrez of Valparaiso is tied for seventh (73).

The last Panther to finish as high as third was Kyle Perry in 2007.

South has some work to do

Zionsville (304) is followed by Westfield (307) and Guerin Catholic (307), then Evansville North and Noblesville at 308. South was near the top early but collectively, the Panthers were 14-over on the final five holes. That can't happen again if they are to rally.

"I thought the golf course ate us up to be honest," Carver said. "Happy played great and Connor was even through 13. This is my seventh year getting up here and I can tell you the stretch that will always cost us is holes 14 through 18.

"That's what cost us. You have to play all 18 and 36 holes. You can't play 34 and you can't play 33. You have to play 'em all and know how to play them and grind it out. And unfortunately, especially 14, we were 8-over par. That to me is unacceptable. We got to get better at that stretch and I know we will tomorrow."

Connor Byon is tied for 38th at 79 but he started with six pars and a 36 on the front before going 7-over on the last five. Colton Watson split 41-42 and is tied for 68th at 83. Luke Garrett is tied for 81st at 85 and Carson Gady is tied for 100th at 91.

"As long as they stay patient and know their game, they'll be just fine," Carver said. "They can't press. I think a couple times today, we got ourselves in some situations and they tried to hit some shots that they just didn't need to."

South's state rookies persevere

Garrett, a senior, and Gady, a sophomore, were each playing their first rounds at the state finals.

"It was great on the first tee," Garrett said. "I loved having so many people watching, hearing your name called, it feels good. It's gets you a little nervous, but the nerves settle in after you hit a good shot off the tee.

"The course is just playing really, really tough right now. I had way too many putts, but I feel I can shoot a solid round here tomorrow and the team can come back."

"On the first tee, I was obviously very nervous," Gady said. "But it was cool just walking down the fairway with lots of people out here. It was a cool atmosphere."

Garrett did a good job gathering himself after opening the back nine with a double and triple to play 2-over the next seven, second best on the team during that stretch behind Gilmore.

"It was draining because I didn't see a single putt go in for all 18 holes," Garrett said. "And I was always, move on to the next hole. I tried to keep a positive mindset the whole time and I think I did a good job of that and I played a little bit better on the back."

Gady went from 48 on the front to 43 on the back with three pars and his second birdie.

"After I started playing real bad, I was just like, 'Let's bring this back for the team,'" Gady said. "Just another round out here. I hit it bad. Not my worst golf, but the course just killed me."