Houck to lead Jay golfers

The Jay County High School boys golf team was at its best in the tournament.
Although the Patriots finished ninth in the field of 14 teams in the field at Hickory Hills Golf Club, they did so with a season-best 18-hole score of 356. And Jacob Heitkamp fell just three strokes short of earning a regional berth as an individual.
That group had just one player with sectional experience.
This season, every member of the 2010 JCHS sectional team returns. And yet, the lineup is still in flux.
The only player, coach Butch Gray said, who is locked in to a secure varsity position is senior Drew Houck. He finished with an 83 at the sectional tournament, and was by far the team’s scoring leader last season with a 42.9 average for nine holes.
“Drew’s leadership, all that he played last year, and his consistency, will be key,” said Gray. “He doesn’t get into a lot of trouble off of the tee. Probably the one thing he needs to work on is, right around the green, getting his chips a little closer.
“But other than that, things are just pretty consistent.”
Behind Houck, Gray has six returning players who averaged between 46 and 52 for nine holes last season. He said any of them, or any of a number of others, could find their way into the starting lineup.
First among them is senior Austin Mann, who averaged 48.3 for nine holes last season and finished with a 99 in the sectional tournament.
“Mann improved as the year went on,” said Gray. “Above all, he’s a senior leader. I just love his attitude that he comes with every night. He’s there to work. He hasn’t played this game very long, but I think he has a chance to be pretty good.”
The other returning golfers whose 2010 averages put them in the mix for varsity playing time are juniors Justen Keller (46), Ritchie Carducci (48.3) and Evan Ryder (49), senior Heitkamp (50.1) and sophomore Mitchel Rigby (51.8).
Gray said he feels that Heitkamp has a chance to build off of his 2010 sectional effort as he led the team with an 82 after shooting 39 on the back nine at Hickory Hills. And he said freshmen Evan Mathias and Zach Fullenkamp could also work their way into the varsity lineup.
“He has played a lot of tournament golf,” said Gray of Mathias. “I think that will help him.
“The kid I’d like to see get serious about it is Rigby,” he added when discussing the group of returning players. “He put some time in this summer.”
Gray noted that work and improvement during the offseason will be a big key to who will get to play varsity golf alongside Houck and Mann. And, as always, success in the short game will be of huge importance.
“One hundred yards in — we have to get up and down,” said Gray. “We’re going to get there. It’s just going to take a while.”
As is always the case, Gray said he hopes his team will come away with a winning record. And he said he believes if the Patriots improve throughout the year and he gets some key contributions, they could move all the way from their ninth-place finish in the sectional tournament, send some individuals to the regional and possibly compete for the for the No. 3 spot and a berth in the regional as a team.
“I really thing we could get one or two out,” said Gray, who also coaches the JCHS girls golf team. “It’s like the girls, we got two (individuals) out. We’ve got to have one or two of those other guys come through with a decent score.”[[In-content Ad]]