Oct. 19—NORMAL — There’s an extra importance to playing in the final group of the day. The expectations and pressure are a little higher because all eyes will be on you as the last golfers on the course.
That was Monticello senior Maddux Quick’s scenario during the first day of the Class 2A state golf tournament Friday afternoon at Weibring Golf Club in Normal, and he embraced every bit of it.
“Every single one of these kids is probably going to play college golf at a high level, so it was super cool,” Quick said. “Being in the last tee time was something special.”
Quick finished the day with a 6-over-par 77, just eight shots back of the leaders. He gave a lot of credit to the course’s difficulty, but he knows he has more left in the tank and will be on a mission Saturday.
“I always like to hunt the leaders down,” Quick said. “I’m going to take it one shot at a time and one hole at a time. Hoping to make a lot of birdies out there. If you don’t make many bogeys, you’re going to shoot well. So that’s going to be the focus.”
The same will hold true for Prairie Central junior Easton Friedman, who shot a 79, even if things weren’t looking the brightest heading into the final few holes.
As he started the sixth hole, Friedman looked at the leaderboard and wasn’t too optimistic about his chances of making the cut for Saturday, so he decided to take some risks.
His first shot on the par-5 sixth hole found the fairway, and he kept the driver in hand for his second shot, which nearly rolled up to the front of the green. He almost chipped in for eagle, tapping in for birdie. His risks paid off, as he comfortably qualified for day two.
“I had a really good lie, and I didn’t think I was going to make the cut, so I told my coach, ‘You know what, I’m just going to send it,'” Friedman said of his driver-off-the-deck shot. “It worked out pretty well.”
Friedman had as big a support system as anyone at Weibring, as there were a couple dozen friends and family members following him throughout the day. And they made themselves known, cheering for every good shot while sporting Prairie Central blue.
“It was awesome,” Friedman said. “So many people in our community have reached out to tell me: ‘Good job’ or ‘Good luck.’ They’re all behind my back and hoping for the best.”
Playing in Friedman’s group was Mahomet-Seymour senior Reis Claybrooke. The defending News-Gazette Boys’ Golfer of the Year didn’t have his best day, shooting an 82 to sneak into Saturday’s competition.
“It was tough getting here,” Claybrooke said. “I started and finished pretty decent. I’ve just got to stay level the whole way. I had a bunch of support out here, so that’s a positive.”
The final area golfer at Weibring was Monticello senior Andrew Neef, finishing the day with an 85 to miss the cut by just two strokes. He was disappointed that the final round of his high school career turned out to be one of his worst of the year, but he was quick to appreciate everything he was still able to accomplish during his senior season.
“It was just a great season,” Neef said. “Anyone from Monticello will tell you this is the best team we’ve ever had, and it might stay that way for a long while. Unfortunate that my worst round was here at state, but that doesn’t take anything away from what I’ve done this year. It doesn’t define me as a golfer. I wish I could go back and do this season again. It’s hard to describe how good we were and how fun it was.”
LeRoy sophomore Brycen Umstattd and Fisher junior Ethan McFarling were both in the hunt for much of the first round of the 1A tournament at Prairie Vista Golf Course in Bloomington. Umstattd ended the day with a 5-over-par 77, just seven strokes out of first place, and McFarling shot a 79. A solid round Saturday will give both of them a good chance at finishing near the top of the leaderboard.
Sullivan senior Shae Ellis led the area girls at the 1A tournament at Red Tail Run Golf Course in Decatur, finishing round one with an 8-over-par 80, 11 shots behind the leader. Two strokes back of Ellis was St. Thomas More senior Ashley Wells with an 82, and another seven back was Hoopeston Area senior Taylor Page with an 89. All three of them played well enough to make Saturday’s final round.
Unfortunately, Monticello senior Macy Printy had to end her high school career on a sour note, withdrawing after five holes with a constant bloody nose. She had nose surgery last week, and while she knew her chances of competing all the way through the weekend were slim, she decided to tough it out and give it a try.
