Ryle sophomore returns to state golf tourney

by James Weber
Union Recorder article link

Nadine Innes is accomplished enough that she doesn’t need much coaching during a round of golf.

Because of that, Ryle head girls golf coach Jeremy Thornton didn’t see many of her 79 strokes during the Region 6 championships Sept. 24 at Kenton County Golf Course (Pioneer) as he focused on her Ryle teammates. But he knows what his star sophomore can do.

“She’s mature enough that I let her play at a distance and not get in her way too much,” Thornton said. “She has worked really hard to get her game to this point. She’s had a really good season. When she feels in control of her game, there’s no number that’s too low for her to put up.”

Innes finished second individually in the tournament with that 79 and she will go to the state tourney Oct. 2-3 in Bowling Green for the second straight year. Innes tied for 15th at state last year with former teammate and 2012 Ryle graduate Alex Bruce.

“I was nervous whether I would make it or not,” she said. “I feel like where you place doesn’t matter, it only matters how you played. The greens (in Bowling Green) are definitely fast and you have to hit it straight. Hopefully I’ll be all right.”

Innes was one shot behind individual champ Shelby Power of Owen County. Innes and the Raiders finished fourth in the team standings. Kayley Hughes and Mollie Collins shot 95’s. Morgan Clark had 98 and Savanna Innes 116.

The course was lengthened for the regional with different tee boxes and a lot of the cups were placed in hard-to-reach spots on the green.

“When you lengthen it out and put the pins in tough places, it shows the course has some teeth,” Thornton said. “For any girl to come out here today and shoot in the 70’s was a tough task. When they look back on it they’ll understand how tough it was.”

Cooper finished seventh in girls, led by a 92 from Madison Smith.

The Ryle boys team will go to state once again, although it lost a tough battle with Covington Catholic for the boys Region 7 title Sept. 25 at Boone Links. Ryle shot 312 to finish three shots behind the Colonels.

Paul Clancy and Logan Gamm shot 75 to tie for second in the individual standings. Hiunter Hughes shot 80, Austin Squires 82 and Zach Adams 84. Ryle finished fifth at state last year and will look to build on that.

Cooper finished third with 331. Zach McNeil shot an 80 to grab eighth place overall and claim an individual spot to the state tournament. Walton-Verona’s Jacob Poore shot 79 to earn a state berth, helping the Bearcats finish fourth overall.

McNeil, who played for Walton last year, lost in a playoff last year to decide the individual berths to state after bogeying 17 and 18 in regulation. This year, he took a double bogey on 17 but rebounded with a par on 18 which made the difference.

“It went through my head the last couple of holes,” he said. “I bogeyed the last two holes last year to go to the playoff, so finishing is a key thing you have to do. It worked out this year. I knew on 17 there was one guy at 79 and that was what I was shooting for. I didn’t know if anyone else would get under 80. On 18, I missed a 12-foot birdie putt and I tapped in for par.”

McNeil becomes the third Jaguar to play in the state tournament.

“He played well today and grinded it out. It was solid play all day,” said Cooper head coach Terry Trame. “He didn’t have any fantastic holes or any bad holes, and that’s what it takes to get down as an individual because the best two teams go down and it’s usually Ryle and Cov Cath, so these kids know they’re playing for three spots.”

Cooper’s Rhett Pluimer (82) and Collin Smith (83) came close to going to state, as did Walton’s Preston Knibbe (82).

Conner finished fifth, led by Jake Cahill’s 83. St. Henry was seventh and Boone County eighth.