Jesuit Boys’ Golf settles in with Lake Oswego at the number one spot after day one of the OSAA 6A Golf State Championship. The Saders were met at the opening tee box with rain and wind this Monday morning, where they ended the day at +19, notably with Jack Harrington finishing at +1 for individual (tied for 3rd) and Joseph Ulrich at +3 (tied for 10th).
Harrington, despite the poor weather, started hot with a birdie on hole one to give the Saders some momentum going into the two-day tourney. Both Ulrich and Will Burke were then able to make some noise on the 509-yard par 5 located on hole 5, both draining their birdie putts to keep the Crusaders in contention after a handful of bogeys on the opening holes.
With the day opening up, the weather calmed slightly, leaving the sky cloudy and the air drizzly for the majority of the opening groups’ rounds.
Burke, after settling down, took advantage of the par three located on hole 8 with a perfect putt to put a -1 on the scorecard.
Despite the handful of birdies, the entire team struggled on the front 9, shooting a +16, where hole 4, a 501-yard par 5, was able to collect three Jesuit bogeys.
Despite their rough start, the team was able to regain their nerves and shoot a whopping +3 on the back 9, skyrocketing them back to the top of the leader board.
Ulrich was able to collect three birdies of his own on holes 13, 14, and 18, pushing the Saders into a good position for day two. His birdie on hole 13 was on a 172-yard par three. He had a beautiful tee shot that put himself in prime position to knock in another birdie, which he accomplished with great precision.
Harrington had a great back 9 where he shot -1, with one birdie and 8 pars. He played perfect “boring golf” and put himself into a position for tomorrow where he could chase down the number 1 spot for individual play and contribute to a possible team state championship.
His birdie came on hole 16, a 427-yard par 4, where he overcooked his drive to the right and then followed it with a monster iron shot to put himself within 15 feet of the hole. With a great read, he made his downhill putt and dropped his individual score to +1.
Notably, for Lake Oswego, junior Drew Woolworth had himself a hay day on the first 18, shooting 5 under par. He currently leads in individual play with a 4-stroke lead and the opportunity to win individual and team tomorrow. The lefty was one of two players to shoot under par and gave himself 7 birdies on day one.
Burke capitalized again on another par 3 on hole 13, where he hit a pure iron shot to carry the full 172-yard gap between himself and the hole. He then buried his birdie putt to add to the collective momentum of the Saders on the back 9.
Ulrich finished his day with results that didn’t necessarily show the full magnitude of his round, saying, “Going 18/18 on green in regulation shooting was great, but my putting wasn’t on the same level”, setting high expectations for tomorrow with the possibility of replicating his GIR with slightly better putting. Doing so would put the Saders in a winning position and could help him climb the steep ladder of individual play with Harrington and Woolworth.
After his round, Harrington recapped on the day and looked hopefully at tomorrow, saying, “It took a little while to get comfortable, but I thought the game looked better on the back nine. Didn’t take advantage of the easy holes and played semi-loose, but I like the team and my chances going into tomorrow. You want to be in these types of positions.”
Jesuit finished the day with confidence after a well-done back 9 and expects to carry that into the final day of state in hopes of back-to-back state championships.
