Wind or no wind, once Drew Woolworth got a good feel for the course at Quail Valley Golf Club in Banks, nothing or nobody was going to stop him.
The Lake Oswego sophomore followed a first-round 69 on Monday with a second-round 68 on Tuesday to claim the individual title in the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 6A boys tournament at Quail Valley.
Despite windy conditions that played havoc with much of the field, Woolworth was on top of his game. His score of 7-under 137 won by eight strokes over Westview senior Andy Yang.
“Bringing it back to LO means a lot,” said Woolworth, who placed 11th in the tournament last year. “My first one. It's a big deal to know that when you're older you can say you got to win a state title.”
Five players tied for third at 146 – Reynolds junior Mason Ho, Lakeridge senior Nilay Naik, Grants Pass sophomore Carson Krauss, Jesuit senior Mason Zimmerman and Newberg senior Ray Greller.
Woolworth had his struggles at Quail Valley in a Three Rivers League tournament this season. But the more he played the course late in the season, the more comfortable he got, as evidenced by the 69 he shot to win the 6A State Preview on April 24 at Quail Valley.
“I feel like I kind of figured out where the misses were, where to hit it more often times than not,” Woolworth said. “That's a big thing on this golf course, especially when it gets windy. Just playing it on the right spot kind of sets you up for more green to work with.”
Lake Oswego assistant coach Amy Simanton marveled at how Woolworth adjusted after he “didn't play super well” at Quail Valley during the season.
“He found some good vibes in the State Preview and kind of carried it into this week,” Simanton said. “He came out here and played a couple times in the last few weeks just to have a good game plan for the golf course. He just stuck to the way he wanted to manage his game out there. He was really committed to it.”
Woolworth lost to Naik in a Three Rivers tournament at Quail Valley and again in the district tournament April 30 at Stone Creek. But with Naik and others chasing him Tuesday, he wasn't going to be denied.
“I was feeling good coming into today,” Woolworth said. “I was hitting the ball good, I felt good on the greens, felt good around the greens. So I felt like I could shoot a low number today.”
Did he feel any pressure from carrying the lead into the second round?
“Not really, just because I do it all the time,” Woolworth said. “It doesn't really get to me. I don't like to check the leader board when I'm out there, so it kind of keeps me in the zone, playing my game.”
Simanton said Woolworth handled the pressure “unbelievably well.”
“Every time he had some adversity out there, he grinded it out or he bounced right back with a birdie,” Simanton said. “It was a joy to watch him play. I can't state enough how tough that is to have all that pressure on you, and to be able to perform in some really tough conditions.”
Woolworth's performance sparked a second-round push by Lake Oswego, but the Lakers were unable to overcome Jesuit and defend their team title.
The Crusaders, who held an 11-stroke lead over Grants Pass after the first round, won by five strokes over the Lakers. Jesuit shot 595 to beat Lake Oswego (600), Grants Pass (616) and Westview (619).
“Lake Oswego battled,” Jesuit first-year coach Matt Schulte said. “They were a little off their game yesterday, and they turned it on today. We had a great day yesterday, and leaked a little bit today, but held it together.”
The Lakers entered the second round 15 strokes behind Jesuit but made the Crusaders sweat it out down the stretch.
“One hundred percent we felt that pressure,” said Zimmerman, whose team beat Lake Oswego by nine strokes to win the 6A State Preview. “They put up a great score today. They're a great team. We had to show up, and we did, which I'm thankful for.”
Jesuit's scorers were Zimmerman (146), juniors Joseph Ulrich (149) and Jack Harrington (150) and senior Grady Brown (150). It is the 10th title for the Crusaders, tying them for the most all-time with Lake Oswego and Medford, and their first since a three-peat from 2017 to 2019.
“It means so much to us,” Zimmerman said. “We've been working towards this for four years. Last year we thought we had the tools and we didn't show up. We've been a tight-knit group of guys for the last three or four years, and this is so exciting to finally reach our goal.
“We practiced so hard We had the confidence that we were the best team out here.”
5A
La Salle Prep junior Jonas Caddell separated from the pack in the final three holes to win the 5A title at Quail Valley.
Caddell followed a birdie on the par-3 16th hole with an eagle on the par-5 17th hole to complete a round of 71. His two-day total of 147 won by four strokes over Summit sophomore Bryce Grieb, Summit senior Owen Harper and Wilsonville sophomore Luke Sidhu.
“When I got the birdie on 16, I didn't even know I was leading,” Caddell said. “I didn't know I was anywhere close to the top. My buddy told me on 15 that I was one off the lead. So I was like, 'Just keep making pars, and if a birdie comes, it comes.'”
Caddell, who tied for 11th at state last year, virtually clinched the title with the eagle on the 459-yard 17th hole. He hit a pitching wedge from 167 yards to within 12 feet of the cup and calmly knocked in the putt.
Caddell made up for a disappointing finish in the 5A State Preview. He held the lead at 2-under through 14 holes but shot a 10 on a par-4 and finished with an 80.
That par-4 – the 399-yard No. 8 – came earlier in Caddell's round Tuesday.
“I had to fight the demons, but I made par,” he said.
Caddell's win marks the third consecutive individual title for La Salle Prep. Will Koch won the title in 2022 and was co-medalist as a senior in 2023.
“Hopefully we can win next year, too,” Caddell said.
Summit senior Jakob Hansen, winner of the 5A State Preview, appeared to be in control coming down the stretch. But he shot 8-over on the back nine, including a nine on a the par-4 12th hole and a five on the par-3 13th hole.
Hansen and Wilsonville junior Michael Flaherty, a co-medalist last year, tied for fifth at 152. They both shot 78 on Tuesday after sharing the first-round lead at 74 with Crescent Valley senior Cole Rivers, who finished 15th at 161.
Summit put the final touches on its third consecutive team title with a score of 607, beating La Salle Prep (626), Wilsonville (652) and Corvallis (660).
Besides Grieb, Harper and Hansen, the Storm had two other players in the top 10 in junior Paolo Delia and freshman Bryden Ditty, who tied for ninth at 157.
“These guys are so strong,” Summit coach Andy Heinly said. “Today they had some big numbers, but they're so strong, they hung in there so well. They kept coming back.”
It is the sixth championship and second three-peat for Summit, which won three consecutive 5A titles from 2015 to 2017. The Storm ran away with the 6A title in 2022 before returning to 5A last year.
“They sharpen each other,” Heinly said. “They just keep making each other better.”
The Storm has won two titles on each of the OSAA's championship courses – Quail Valley, Trysting Tree and Emerald Valley.
4A
Freshman Jordan Giles became Phoenix's first medalist in 15 years by shooting 3-over-par to win the 4A tournament by three strokes at Emerald Valley in Creswell.
Giles, tied for the lead at 72 after one round, fired a 75 on Tuesday to finish at 147. He held off Molalla junior Massimo Cereghino (150), North Bend junior Owen Bascom (152), Baker/Powder Valley junior Isaiah Jones (158) and Marist Catholic junior Christian Guerrero (158).
Giles is Phoenix's second state champion, joining Daniel Engle, who won in 2009.
Marist Catholic trailed reigning champion Baker/Powder Valley by four strokes after one round but overtook the Bulldogs for the team title. The Spartans scored 659 to beat Baker/Powder Valley (663), North Bend (703), Scappoose (703) and Cascade (703).
After Guerrero, Marist Catholic's other scorers were junior Nick Hudson (164), senior Anthony Angelastro (165) and sophomore Jaxen Mazur (172). The title is the Spartans' seventh, all since 2006, and first since they went back-to-back in 2018 and 2019.
3A/2A/1A
Crosspoint Christian sophomore Davis Hartwell finished at 3-under-par to run away with the 3A/2A/1A title at Emerald Valley in Creswell.
Hartwell, who shot 73 on Monday to take the first-round lead, fired a 68 on Tuesday to finish with a score of 141. He becomes the first individual champion for the Klamath Falls school.
He won by 10 strokes over Valley Catholic sophomore Benny Zhu, last year's champion. A year ago, Hartwell finished tied for 11th, 10 strokes behind Zhu.
Hartwell caught fire on the back nine, shooting a 6-under 30. During the stretch, he had five birdies and an eagle on the 545-yard, par-5 13th hole.
Brookings-Harbor junior Lucas Vanderlip and Bandon freshman Sevren Quinn tied for third at 153. Bandon junior Peyton Simonds was fifth at 156.
Quinn and Simonds combined with seniors Sean Ells (168) and Carter Brown (178) to lead Bandon to the team championship. The Tigers, whose only previous title was in 2015, scored 655 to finish ahead of Valley Catholic (677), Banks (693), Western Christian (700) and St. Mary's (700).
jerryu@osaa.org
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