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    • Returning Golfers from Ohio and Kentucky and Storylines to Know in 2024
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    Returning Golfers from Ohio and Kentucky and Storylines to Know in 2024

    Vaseline Posted on

    The last few weeks of July see the start of high school sports seasons in Ohio and Kentucky, as prep golfers begin their seasons on July 22 in Kentucky and July 29 in Ohio. Last season was another successful one for local golfers, including many returning athletes such as Wyoming senior Finley Bartlett who won the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II individual state championship.

    Here are some of the best returning golfers and storylines to keep an eye on in the fall of 2024.

    Finley Bartlett on the hunt for another state title

    It will be a challenge for Finley Bartlett to match the 2023 season.

    As a junior, Bartlett was the Cincinnati Hills League Athlete of the Year for the second straight season before beginning his OHSAA postseason run. Bartlett began his run at the sectional tournament at The Mill Course, where he shot a 67 to finish two strokes clear of the medalist. His Wyoming team also won the team title with a 293, beating second-place finisher Madeira by 11 strokes.

    At the district tournament in Heatherwoode, eventual state champion Alter defeated Wyoming in the team standings, but Bartlett was again the individual medalist. With a 67, Bartlett finished one stroke ahead of Clinton-Massie’s Andy Steed to win the state tournament.

    Bartlett completed his postseason sweep at the Division II state tournament. Bartlett was in good shape after Day One, shooting a 74 to enter the final round in a tie for fourth place. The next day, Bartlett shot a 72 to finish the season with a combined total of 146, good for the individual state championship by two strokes over Steed. Wyoming also finished second at state with a team total of 595, 51 strokes behind champion Alter.

    Bartlett was back in the hunt for his second straight OHSAA championship, becoming the first golfer from the region to win back-to-back championships since Lakota West’s Korey Ward won the Division I title in 2008 and 2009.

    The entire Wyoming team could also be in the hunt for a championship. With Bartlett leading the way, four of Wyoming’s five state competitors return, including Jack Webb who shot a 158 at state and finished in the top 20.

    Other Ohio Boy Golfers to Watch

    Clinton-Massie’s Andy Steed, who finished second to Bartlett at the state and district tournaments, also returns as a senior in 2024. Roger Bacon’s Allister Fike tied for 38th at the Division II state tournament last season as a freshman.

    In Division I, Elder’s Cayse Morgan returns for his senior year after a successful junior campaign. Morgan was the Greater Catholic League South Athlete of the Year before winning his sectional and district tournaments, qualifying for the Division I state tournament where he placed third with a 142. Morgan was the only underclassman to finish in the top six at state.

    On the boys Division III side, Billy Good of Seven Hills is the top returner, finishing tied for 22nd at state, tied for first at districts and tied for third at sectionals.

    New crop of talent set to report for Ohio girls golf

    After graduating a group of fantastic female golfers last season, several emerging talents are set to break through in 2024.

    In last year’s Division I district tournament individual standings, nine of the top 13 individual finishers were seniors, including the top five ranked players.

    Sycamore junior Eva Becerril led the Greater Miami Conference in average as a freshman in 2022 and was third last season. She is the top local returnee from last year’s Division I state tournament, where she shot a 154 to tie for 19th place and helped Sycamore to a top-five finish as a team.

    Close behind Becerril in both district and state finishes were three returning Springboro golfers in Kinsley Brown, Taylor Dunkle and Elise Dunkle. All three finished in the top seven in scoring in the Greater Western Ohio Conference and were first-team All-Conference. They helped Springboro advance to the state tournament, where the Panthers finished sixth.

    In the Eastern Cincinnati Conference, Lebanon’s Riley Johnson graduated last year after leading the conference in average in her last three seasons. Johnson’s teammate, Olivia Donovan, was a freshman last year when she took over for Johnson. Donovan finished third in the ECC behind Johnson and returning Anderson senior Ayla Brugger. Donovan (and Johnson) finished in sixth place at the Division I district meet after Donovan tied for the sectional standings at Walden Ponds.

    Paige Treherne of Lakota West and Campbell Drum of Mount Notre Dame also found success in the postseason, placing first and second, respectively, in the Hamilton Elks sectional.

    The situation is different for Division II golfers, as last season saw a focus on younger players, such as Fenwick’s Sophie Rush, who finished in the top 15 at state as a junior last season.

    Taylor Zoz, a freshman from Badin, was the only freshman to earn an All-GCL Coed first-team title last year. He tied for first in the sectional standings with Emma Lohman of Fenwick. He ultimately finished fourth at districts, missing the playoffs to advance to state by one stroke.

    Mariemont’s Charlotte Soller was a sophomore last season when she led the Cincinnati Hills League in scoring average, earning her Player of the Year honors.

    Reagan Ramage returns for final run with Cooper

    Cooper comfortably won last season’s Region 7 championship with a score of 313, compared to runner-up Ryle’s 366. Five Cooper golfers have finished in the region’s top 10, but only one is returning in 2024.

    Western Kentucky player Reagan Ramage dominates the region, winning individual medals and leading Cooper to the team title in back-to-back seasons.

    At last season’s Kentucky High School Athletic Association state tournament, Ramage shot a 72 after the first round and tied for second place. After a 76 on day two, Ramage finished her junior season tied for fourth in the state with a total score of 148.

    Regional runner-up and top-25 finisher at state Anika Okuda also returns for her senior run. The Ryle star had a 75 at the Region 7 meet before taking a 165 at state. Notre Dame’s Didi Jiradamkerng also had a top-50 finish at state, finishing in 43rd place with a 170. Jiradamkerng took fifth in the region.

    Returning Kentucky boys golfers enjoy postseason success

    After finishing third at the Region 7 tournament as a sophomore last season, Ryle’s Paxton McKelvey led the Raiders to state, where the team finished seventh as McKelvey was the highest local finisher. McKelvey shot a 155 over the two state rounds to finish in a tie for 25th with the 11-over-par finish.

    At the Region 7 tournament, McKelvey finished one stroke behind St. Henry’s Ben Carter, who was second as a junior. Will Carter, who was a regional runner-up as a sophomore in 2022, finished seventh last season.

    Highlands senior Hack Shick returns after winning the Region 8 individual championship in each of the last two seasons. After shooting a 72 at regionals as a sophomore in 2022, Shick shot a 74 to tie for three-way at the top of the standings last season with Newport Central Catholic’s Caleb Eaglin and Harrison County’s David Korona. Shick birdied the playoff hole to take medal honors.

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