KHS golfers making return trip to 3A state tournament

Although the team didn’t close as strong as its coach would have liked, Kingfisher did more than enough a majority of Monday’s rounds to get back to state.

Kingfisher fired rounds of 312 and 310 at the 3A boys golf regional at Purcell’s Brent Bruehl Memorial Golf Course.

The performance placed KHS third behind regional champ Oklahoma Christian School, which shot 584, and runner-up Kingston’s

600. The top-six teams from each regional automatically qualify for next week’s state tournament.

“I thought we played well for the most part, but I wish we’d have finished out both rounds better,” said KHS boys golf coach Chris Combs.

“We gave some shots away late.”

The Yellowjackets played the final two holes a combined 11-over-par over the two rounds, including 9-over in the second round.

Despite shooting two shots better overall, KHS fell from second place after the first round to 22 strokes behind Kingston.

Epitomizing Kingfisher’s late struggles were its top two bags: Peyton Burns and Colby Campbell.

Burns finished out with a bogey and triple-bogey on the last two holes, but still managed a 3-over-par 74.

Combined with his even-par round of 71 to open the regional, Burns’ 145 earned him fourth-place medalist.

Campbell was 1-under with four holes to play in his final round, but finished with a 76. That was one stroke better than his opening round.

Caleb Cameron had matching rounds with Campbell as both shot 153s.

Also for KHS, Logun Burnham followed up an early 87 with an 84 for a 171 and Caden Hill had rounds of 91 and 93 for a 184.

“I thought our ball striking was improved,” Combs added. “We just need to make a few more putts.”

The top-four scores count toward the team total in each round.

Also qualifying were Crossings Christian (635), Sulphur (643) and Lindsay (674).

Both of Kingfisher’s rounds were significantly better than early in the season when it shot a 342 on the same course at the conference tournament.

“We did improve a lot since then,” Combs added.

More improvement, he said, will be needed for the Jackets to have a strong showing at the state tournament.

It will be held Monday and Tuesday at Tulsa Country Club. Monday will feature 36 holes and Tuesday 18.

State Qualifiers

OCS 584 Kingston 600 Kingfisher 622 Crossings Christian 635 Sulphur 643 Lindsay 674

Medalists: 1. Jaxon Dowell, OCS, 140; 2. Bosten Benn, OCS, 141; 3. R.J. Weeks, Kingston, 143;

4. Peyton Burns, Kingfisher, 145.