GAINESVILLE — On any other day, against any other field, in any other classification, the Gainesville boys golf team surely would have captured their eighth state title in program history.
But after Tuesday's second and final round of the Class AAAAAA state championships at the Chattahoochee Golf Club, the Red Elephants seemed almost as pleased with their fourth-place finish in a loaded field that many considered the deepest and most talented of all eight of the Georgia High School Association classifications.
Gainesville finished with a two-day total 584 after shooting a tournament-best 287 on Tuesday, which also set a new program-record for lowest round in a state tournament.
“That was a ridiculous finish with the quality of this field,” Gainesville coach Bryson Worley said. “I’m just so proud of these guys. They really got it going (Tuesday). But it also shows just how tough this field was. There were so many good teams. We always want to win but to finish just two shots back of runner-up, we’ll take that.”
Johns Creek came away with the team title firing a two-day 579 to hold off Creekview (582) and Lakeside-Evans (583).
Gainesville junior Davis Weaver also fired a tournament-best 67 on Tuesday to help the Red Eephants climb three spots after the first day. Weaver, who tied for 11th along with teammate Brody Simmons with a 144, got help from senior Hunter Worley, who put together his best-ever round in his final high school event with a 74.
Worley closed out the round in dramatic fashion draining a 40-foot birdie putt with his father-coach looking on.
“I just knew I had one last chance to help the team and I was able to make some shots,” Hunter Worley said. “On that last putt, when I hit it I thought it would be close but it went in. It was the perfect way to end things. My dad hugged me. It was a great moment.”
The elder Worley almost welled up when asked about it.
“First, for Hunter to play like that with this kind of pressure, I was just so proud of him as a father and a coach. That final putt was incredible. An exciting moment for us,” he said.
Coming into Tuesday’s final round, juniors Ryan Hogan and Simmons had paced Gainesville to a seventh-place spot shooting a 70 and 71 respectively. Hogan slogged his way through a rough second round shooting a 77 while Simmons fired a 1-over 73.
Despite the top 11 finish for Simmons, he feels it was close to being a special round. He missed birdie attempts on Nos. 1, 2, and 3.
“I was hitting every green. I just couldn’t make any putts. I left some shots out there,” he said.
But Simmons also was quick to point out afterwards that Gainesville golf after Spencer Ralston is just fine.
“Gainesville is in good shape. Spencer was a great player and we just tried to come together and everyone step up to make for that,” he said.
Creekview’s Brady Keran won the individual state title shooting a second-round 69 to nip Austen Heider of Greenbrier and Houston County’s Brent Hamm by a stroke.
Habersham Central finished 15th with a team-total 644.
HIGH SCHOOL GOLF
Class AAAAAA Boys Championships
At Chattahoochee Golf Club, Gainesville
Final results
TEAM
1. Johns Creek, 290-289: 579
2. Creekview, 293-289: 582
3. Lakeside-Evans, 294-289: 583
4. Gainesville, 297-287: 584
5. Cambridge, 293-296: 589
6. Harrison, 298-292: 590
T7. Dalton, 301-290: 591
T7, Greenbrier, 301-290: 591
9. Evans, 306-294: 600
10. Dunwoody, 310-293: 603
11. Glynn Academy, 312-300: 612
12, Houston County, 306-311: 617
13. Allatoona, 314-310: 624
14. Centennial, 324-305: 629
15. Habersham Central, 324-320: 644
T16. Sequoyah, 319-327: 646
T16. Alpharetta, 335-311: 646
18. Apalachee, 340-336: 676
INDIVIDUAL TOP 15
1., Brady Keran, Creekview, 71-69: 140
T2. Austin Fulton, Douglas County, 69-72: 141
T2, Austin Heider, Greenbrier, 69-72: 141
T2, Brent Hamm, Houston County, 73-68: 141
T5, Andy Mao, Johns Creek, 71-71: 142
T5, Nic Cassidy, Cembridge, 71-71: 142
T7, Carter Pendley, Dalton, 71-72: 143
T7, Drew Supiset, Harrison, 73-70: 143
T7, Jackson Perry, 74-69: 143
T7, Jackson Cross, Lanier, 71-72: 143
T11, Brody Simmons, Gainesville, 71-73: 144
T11, Davis Weaver, Gainesville, 77-67: 144
T11, Blake Kollin, Cambridge, 74-70: 144
T11, Preston Wagaman, Lakeside-Evans, 71-73: 144
T11, Isaac Hergott, Lakeside-Evans, 74-70: 144
