For 15 holes, it appeared Oakdale’s Will Scott was about to record a shocking score under par at the FCPS golf championships.
It’s not really a surprise that Scott would be the one to do it. He’s been at or near the top of the county scoring averages for three straight years. But given the nearly unplayable conditions at times Tuesday on a soaked Clustered Spires Golf Course, Scott and the 55 other golfers would’ve been fortunate to break 80 across all 18 holes.
The rainy weather and brutal course finally caught up to Scott in his final three holes, but he closed with a strong birdie to hold on for the individual county title with a 1-over 73.
“I was a little mad at myself, and I knew I had to make a comeback to shoot a good score,” Scott said. “I ended up sticking it to 10 feet and draining the putt. That felt really great.”
He held off Bears teammate Zac Taylor, who shot even on the back nine to finish second overall with a 2-over 74. Urbana’s Claire Son also notched an even back nine to finish with a 4-over 76 and repeat as the girls champion, tying for third overall.
Scott and Taylor led Oakdale to its first Frederick County team title, scoring a 315 to finish eight strokes clear of Urbana (323).
“I saw the potential in each one of them individually to play the kind of golf they’re playing right now,” fourth-year Bears coach Mike Skena said. “But the credit goes to them, to each of those guys. All five of these guys work their butts off. They play golf 365 days a year to be playing the way they play today.”
And the way they played Tuesday was impressive.
They tamed a course that played much more difficult than usual due to persistent rain saturating the grounds over the previous week. Rain water formed puddles in bunkers, chip shots embedded in greens and many drives stuck the landing with little additional skips.
Massive search parties could be found at any given time on most holes, with spectators joining golfers and coaches to look for balls in the thick rough that had been unable to be cut for more than two weeks. As a result, the lead groups took nearly six hours to finish.
“They played the course today like it wasn’t raining and miserable,” Skena said of his golfers.
Scott, a senior, led that charge in his first 18-hole tournament of the season after missing the Central Maryland Conference championships with an illness.
He’s the unquestioned leader of a team that doesn’t seem to have a notably weak link.
“We’ve just been playing together for so long. We have undeniable team chemistry, and we ham and egg it,” Scott said. “If one person’s off, another person’s on.”
Taylor was also on, and even the team’s other two scorers — Ty Yuhas (83) and Zach Johnson (85) — weren’t really off.
“In these conditions, if you can go out there and really just be scrappy, you gotta really hunker down and try to make putts and save strokes wherever you can,” Taylor said. “When the weather’s as bad as it was, this was playing as a hard course.”
Son led Urbana’s efforts to challenge Oakdale and remain the county’s top team, but the Hawks were bested for the second time in three seasons. Still, the sophomore turned heads with yet another consistent round, especially her putts near the end on greens she said were “really, really, really, really slow.”
“It’s a straight shot every single time,” first-year Urbana coach Brandon Walker said. “She knows what she’s doing. We don’t really have to talk to her.”
Son has continued to improve her game, especially her approach shots, by playing regularly in amateur tournaments outside of high school competition. She is lined up to compete at the Maryland Women’s Open this weekend at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville.
“I just like playing against other people,” Son said. “It’s a great experience, too, to play with professional players and other experienced people. It’s really fun, and I can also play from a further distance than I usually do, which can be helpful.”
Son finished 16 strokes ahead of Urbana teammate Addison Buckland (92), who claimed second place among all girls. Walkersville’s Celine Lieu and Urbana’s Madison Boucher each shot a 94 to tie for third.
Linganore’s Schaffer Wisnom tied with Son for third overall, shooting a 76 to lead the Lancers. Brunswick’s Colin Pearre and Walkersville’s Layden Barker each tied for fifth overall with a 78.
Barker initially came into the clubhouse with a 77, but a scoring discrepancy was noted on the eighth hole, ultimately leading to a revision.
Thomas Johnson’s Chris Apperson shot a 79 to pace the Patriots, and Middletown’s Ollie Witt shot an 80 to lead the third-place Knights.
Catoctin’s Bryont Green and Jordan Moore both recorded an 83. Tuscarora’s Emmett Russell shot an 89, and Frederick high’s Chase Brandenburg had a 93.
