GOLF: Floyd, Providence reach final round at state, a first for Clark-Floyd area

By KEVIN HARRIS
Kevin.Harris@newsandtribune.com

June 17, 2009 02:41 am

— FRANKLIN — Last Friday, the Floyd Central and Providence boys’ golf teams made history at the Seymour Regional. For the first time in 16 years, two Clark-Floyd area squads qualified for the IHSAA State Finals when the Highlanders placed second and the Pioneers were third at regional.
On Tuesday in the first round of the state finals at The Legends of Indiana Golf Course, both teams up to their old tricks.
For the first time ever, two area squads advanced to the final round of the state finals. Floyd and Providence placed sixth and eighth, respectively, in the opening round. The top nine teams in the first round qualified for today’s final round.
“I think we’re representing the Floyd Central Sectional well with two teams making it,” Providence head coach Dave Lobeck said.
The 19th-ranked Highlanders shot a team score of 306, tying top-ranked and defending state champion Indianapolis Cathedral for the sixth spot.
Leading Floyd was junior David Frank with an even-par 72. In the individual standings, he is in a four-way tie for fifth and only three shots behind first-round leader Patrick Rodgers of Avon, who shot a 3-under-par 69. Frank converted four birdies and 10 pars during the opening round.
“He played really solid,” Floyd head coach Mike Cason said. “He’s an excellent player. He did a great job. They all did good and they all played well.”
Two other Highlanders had scores in the 70s. Both senior Matt Rayner and freshman Jay Holderman each carded a 77. Senior teammate Chase Cadle fired an 80, and Floyd sophomore Jared Sturgeon shot an 81.
Cason, whose team started its round on the backside at Legends, said his troops got off to a rocky start while battling rain as they shot 11-over-par for the opening nine holes. But he lauded their effort to rebound from a tough beginning by shooting 7-over on the final nine holes.
“We got off to a bad start because we started in a really heavy downpour of rain,” Cason said. “The kids just stepped it up and played well.”
No. 15 Providence shot a 308 to advance to the second day of the state finals for the first time since 1993.
Senior Ben Rose fired the Pioneers’ lowest score with a 3-over 75. He made a birdie on both the front and back nines to go along with 11 pars.
Fellow Providence senior Trey Pfund shot a 76, while teammate Andrew Lobeck recorded a 77. The Pioneers’ Robert Spiller and Bryce Very carded an 80 and 83, respectively.
The Pioneers, who also started their round on the back nine, combined to shoot 1-over on the final three holes in helping them reach the final round. Providence’s top four players all shot in the 30s during the first nine holes.
Despite making the first-round cut, Coach Lobeck thought his players could have delivered lower scores.
“At the turn, I think we were in third and fourth place and feeling pretty good. But the (final) nine, we just started throwing around strokes like they were confetti,” the third-year Providence coach said. “Yes, we made the cut and were in the second day. But am I happy with our play? Not really. We really could be contending.
“We should’ve ended up in the 10- or 11-over range instead of 20-over. But I’m sure every team can go back and talk about shots they missed.”
No. 2 Avon currently leads the state leaderboard with a 293, followed by sixth-ranked Evansville North with a 296 and No. 7 Hamilton Southeastern with a 299.
Even though the Highlanders are 13 strokes behind the first-place Orioles, Cason said his players will be playing to win today. He thinks the Highlanders must shoot between 290 and 295 in the final round to have a shot at their third state championship in four years.
Floyd has pulled off an unbelievable comeback at state before. Three years ago, the Highlanders fired a meet-record 286 in the final round to rally from a 16-stroke deficit and win their first state title.
“Now, our goal is to win,” Cason said. “I really feel like that’s the only thing to tell the kids — we’ve got to win this thing.”
Coach Lobeck planned on motivating his own players on Tuesday night by reminding them of Floyd’s amazing rally in ‘06. The Pioneers must overcome a 15-shot deficit to win their first state crown.
“We’ll use that as a motivational story with our kids. You never know what can happen,” Lobeck said. “(Today) we’ve got nothing to lose. We made it into the second day. I think we might play with a little more freedom.
“The funny thing is I’ve got five kids that are capable of shooting even-par. It’s that lightning in a bottle. If they all play well and come out not nervous, we could make a move.”
Providence and Floyd Central are paired in the same groups today. The first of these groups were scheduled to tee off at 8:45 this morning.

IHSAA STATE FINALS
at The Legends of Indiana Golf Course, Franklin, par-72
FIRST ROUND
(The top nine teams advanced to today’s final round.)
Team scores — Avon 293, Evansville North 296, Hamilton Southeastern 299, Chesterton 300, Brebeuf Jesuit 302, Indianapolis Cathedral 306, Floyd Central 306, Providence 308, Twin Lakes 310, LaPorte 312, Yorktown 313, Bedford North Lawrence 316, Carmel 316, Lafayette Jeff 316, Mishawaka Marian 316, Homestead 319, Prairie Heights 319, Warsaw 320, Terre Haute South 322, Northview 326, West Lafayette 326.
Floyd Central — Frank 72, Sturgeon 81, Rayner 77, Holderman 77, Cadle 80.
Providence — Pfund 76, Rose 75, Lobeck 77, Spiller 80, Very 83.

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