GEORGETOWN — Class 6A state golf qualifiers couldn’t play a practice round on Sunday because of rain. Instead, they drove around the 18 holes at White Wing Golf Club and putted the greens.
That proved enough for Jesuit junior Reese Roberts to dial into what his head coach Cathy Marino called a “short, tight course” where hitting the fairways is crucial. Roberts credited his driving game for a 4-under-par 68 on Monday at the first day of the 2024 Class 6A state golf tournament.
Roberts went bogey-free through the first 16 holes he played and sits tied for second, two strokes back of the lead after Monday.
“I did a pretty great job of placing the ball where I needed to and I made a lot of putts inside 10 feet today, which is good,” Roberts said. “The last two, I got a little nervous on the 17 and 18 coming in, but finished with a par and was pretty happy with how it went.”
Jesuit missed the state tournament by two strokes a year ago and in a playoff the year before that. Marino said her squad is “super happy” to have qualified this year and wanted to position themselves with a chance to win going into the second day.
The Rangers ended Monday in second as a team, shooting a combined 3-under-par 285, which is six strokes back of tournament-leader Lake Travis.
“We played a really solid round,” Marino said. “Reese played an awesome round, got it under par and kept it there. Everybody managed the golf course really well, and that’s really what this course is all about. I’m really happy with how everyone played.”
Roberts shared the lead with Lake Travis freshman Bennett Kuhns, who was in the same playing group, for most of the day. Teeing off on the back nine, both Roberts and Kuhns birdied at the 11th and 18th holes. Kuhns briefly jumped ahead with a birdie at 13, but Roberts caught up at 15.
A bogey at 17 by Roberts and Kuhns’ birdie on the final hole separated the two going into the second day.
“We’ll see how it goes tomorrow, but I’m just glad to be in the mix of things with it,” Roberts said. “... Hopefully we can go give it a run tomorrow [as a team]. That’s all I wanted was to have a chance at tomorrow.”
Jack Clancy finished 1 under, Spencer Carter finished even and Max Chan finished 2 over to round out Jesuit’s scoring. Carter fought back from being 2 over after his first four holes to end the day with a 72.
The trio combined for nine birdies.
Scots’ slow start
Highland Park left itself a hole to climb to win a record 23rd state title in program history after day one at White Wing, finishing fifth and nine strokes back of Lake Travis. The Scots are seeking their first title at the Class 6A level after winning four-straight in 5A from 2017 to 2021 (no state tournament was held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
Two of their golfers compiled scores under par on Monday. Last year’s fourth-place individual finisher at state, Brooks Simmons, shot 3 under with five birdies. Fellow junior Blake Goodnight finished 1 under.
Simmons lamented his speed control when putting but said they’ll have some practice time after Monday’s round to tune it before the second and final day of play.
“I hit the ball pretty well, just didn’t make a ton of putts,” Simmons said. “Some putts started dropping in but I got to make some more to win tomorrow.”
Charles Nelson and Jackson Muncy both posted a 2-over-par 74 to round out Highland Park’s scoring.
“Just head in the game, try to go as low as we can tomorrow,” Simmons said.
Frisco Wakeland second in 5A
Led by individual leader Luke Colton, Wakeland is in second place after the first round of the 5A boys tournament at Legacy Hills Golf Club in Georgetown. Colton, a sophomore, shot a 6-under 66 in his first round, giving him a one-shot lead. Wakeland’s 289 total as a team is 11 shots behind leader Smithson Valley, while Prosper Walnut Grove is in fourth place after a 294 first round. Argyle is seventh (299), led by Ethan Payne, who shot a 2-under 70 and is tied for fifth entering Tuesday’s final round.
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