Indiana high school sectional golf: HSE rolls to title, looking for more

NOBLESVILLE – Cole Starnes barely finished his sectional round Monday afternoon at Harbour Trees Golf Club before he headed back to the practice green.

"Overall, it wasn't great ball striking," the Hamilton Southeastern senior said of his round. "And then the putter was just cold today. The speed was off, line was a little bit off, too, and with those combined, the putts weren't dropping."

It speaks to Starnes’ high expectations of himself that he still fired a 2-over-par 73 to finish fifth individually and help his team to a sectional title with a sparking team score of 292. But his putt on No. 18, which was maybe an inch short of the hole, was emblematic of a day the Indiana University recruit felt could have been better overall.

On the bright side for Starnes was the play of his teammates, sophomore Kai Warner and freshman Mattingly Upchurch, who both shot a 72 with Noblesville's Will Barnes to tie for second overall. Tipton's Maverick Conaway took home medalist honors – fitting on his home course – with a 1-under 70. Noblesville took second as a team with a 304 to advance to the regional and Conaway's Tipton team also slid into the regional as the third entry with a 316 to edge Fishers by one shot.

Starnes gained valuable experience in April, shooting a 70 in local U.S. Open qualifying at The Hawthorns Golf & Country Club to earn one of 530 spots out of nearly 10,000 competitors to advance to final qualifying. Starnes was one of 120 golfers vying for eight spots two weeks ago in Dallas and paired with PGA Tour player Austin Eckroat and J.J. Killeen, who turned pro in 2005. Starnes did not make the cut, shooting a 2-over for the two rounds, but watched Eckroat make it with an 11-under.

"It was really cool to play with them to see what I have to do to get to the next level," Starnes said. "I thought ball striking wise, I was just as good as them. But their short game showed me what I need to work on. Their short games are world class. Just unbelievable. If I can work on my putting and chipping and get somewhere close to their level, that would be really good."

For the next week-plus, though, Starnes is focused on helping his Hamilton Southeastern team to a state championship. The Royals were something of a sleeper last year, finishing third in state after taking third in the sectional and regional leading into state. But HSE was 13 shots off the lead at state as Guerin Catholic outdueled Westfield for a one-shot team win.

Those same teams, Westfield and Guerin Catholic, are ranked No. 1 and 2 respectively, at the end of the regular season. HSE is ranked third and feeling somewhat forgotten. The Royals lost a tiebreaker to Westfield for the Hoosier Crossroads Conference, but defeated the Shamrocks head-to-head in April and at the state preview.

"I’m a little biased but I think we’re the most underrated team," Starnes said. "Westfield is ranked No. 1 and we haven't lost to them at Prairie View (the site of the state meet) and we’ve played them twice. If we just show up with the same game we’re playing right now, then we have a really good chance."

There aren't many teams as balanced as HSE. Westfield, Guerin Catholic and Bloomington South might be the only teams that can compare over a two-day meet like the state finals. The sophomore Warner came out blazing on the front-nine Monday, firing a 3-under par.

"One of the coolest parts of being able to coach a team like this and the caliber of golfers that we have is the expectations that they put on themselves," HSE coach David Young said. "They push themselves. It's a cool thing to be able to witness that they know they are still here for the right reasons and they are all still rooting for each other, even if that means losing a place for themselves."

HSE, Noblesville and Tipton will advance to Thursday's regional at The Players Club hosted by Muncie Central. The top three teams there advance to state, along with the two low individuals not playing on an advancing team.

Prior to Conaway's winning 70 round, he said he was struggling on the range. "I had to go inside and breathe for a bit," he said. He then started his round with a three-putt bogey, followed by an eagle. It was a bit of a roller coaster round, but enough ups to win.

"It was an interesting round," he said. "That's for sure."

The three individuals to advance to the regional from non-qualifying teams were Sam Denny (77) and Ryan Davis (78) of Pendleton Heights, and Sam Keithley (77) of Fishers.

At Maple Creek Golf Course

Bishop Chatard won the sectional championship with a 316 score with Cathedral (317) and Heritage Christian (318) also advancing as teams.

Chatard's William Pruitt won the sectional title with a 2-over-par 74. Teammate Nick Belby was second with a 76, followed by Cathedral's John Leamon (77), Heritage Christian's Zachary Klipsch (78) and Cathedral's Drew Adams (79).

Individuals advancing without a team were C.J. Koenig (82) and Atticus Caress (83) of Park Tudor and North Central's Graham Price (86).

Call Star reporter at (317) 444-6649.