Ryle golf preparing for tournaments

By James Weber


When Ryle and Covington Catholic get together on a golf course, there is always a sense of urgency.

The boys golf rivals have been the top two finishers in the regional tournament for most of the last decade, so good shooting was expected when they met for a dual match Aug. 30 at Triple Crown Country Club in Union.

Ryle lost by two shots, 154-156 in the team match. Six players started for each team, with the top four scores counting. The teams will play again the week of Sept. 10 as they had to reschedule a match originally set for Sept. 4.

Ryle head coach Jonathan Ehlen, a former Ryle standout, said the team has been solid but not spectacular.

“The boys had a rough day,” Ehlen said. “They struggled. When you don’t win on your home turf, it’s frustrating. They’re still coming together as a team. They haven’t really come together and played to where everyone plays a solid round.”

Logan Gamm and Zach Adams scored a 38 in the nine-hole match, 2-over par. Austin Squires and Austin Zapp each shot 40. Paul Clancy, Ryle’s top golfer, had an academic conflict and did not play in the match.

Ehlen said while the loss was disappointing, every match is just a rehearsal for the regional tournament Sept. 24 at Boone Links in Burlington.

Ryle and Cov Cath will first reunite on that course Saturday, Sept. 8, when most of Northern Kentucky gathers for the Steve Flesch Invitational, an 18-hole tournament. Steve Flesch is a veteran professional golfer from Union.

“The Flesch is a preview tournament for the regional,” Ehlen said. “All of our direct competition will be there and it is also at Boone Links, which is where the region is. It’s a good preview of where we are and what we need to shoot at the region. We get to size ourselves up against Cov Cath again.”

Both Ehlen and Cov Cath head coach Robb Schneeman agreed that a midweek nine-hole match doesn’t necessarily predict where the two teams will finish in the postseason.

“In nine-hole matches, it’s more or less ‘We have to come out and play,’” Ehlen said. “It’s a long day at school, they don’t get to warm up, they don’t really get to hit balls. They just hop out of the car in school mode, get on the first tee and go. An 18-hole tournament: It’s day and night difference, a completely different mindset and focus level. The matches are more or less a great learning experience, and it’s a chance to have fun with a rival school. I’m not expecting them to go out and break school records.”

Clancy, Gamm and Adams all played in the state tournament last year. Gamm and Adams are sophomores. Ryle’s main task this year is replacing Blake Hamilton, who was third at state last year and spent some time at Triple Crown Thursday rooting on the Raiders during the Cov Cath match.

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