It was not so much a golf tournament as a fight for survival.
Howling winds and steady rain hampered much of Thursday afternoon’s Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship at Blue Mash Golf Course in Olney.
In the end, scores were high enough that the winner wasn’t even sure right away what he had accomplished. Gonzaga (D.C.) senior Keith Hall, an Alexandria resident, jumped past junior teammate David Ruffer with an eagle putt on the par-5 18th hole to win the tournament with a two-day total of 150. Ruffer finished at 152 and the Eagles had four players finish in the top five to win the team title with a score of 765.
“I was doing everything I could to stay in it,” said Hall, who had never won a tournament of any kind before. “I missed a lot of putts early in the round. But I made two par putts at 16 and 17 and that definitely helped me going into the final hole.”
Paul VI, led by seniors Chris Savage (155) and Justin Wingo (156), who tied for fifth and seventh respectively, capped off a stellar week with a 786. By finishing second, Paul VI advances with the Eagles to Monday’s Washington Private School championships at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. The Panthers won the Virginia Independent School state title on Monday with Henry finishing as the co-medalist.
“Now we get a chance to play with the four best teams in the Washington, D.C. area at an amazing course,” said Wingo. “I’ve personally never played there before so it’s going to be exciting.”
DeMatha placed third with 808 points and Ireton was fourth at 834, led by senior Jeff Henry (155), who won this event as a freshman in 2003. DeMatha senior Kyle Stough (Virginia) placed third individually at 153 but struggled to a final-round 80 after leading by a stroke entering the day. The fatal blow came on 17 when his tee shot landed in the water, taking Stough by surprise and effectively ending his chances.
“I thought I hit it fine and it landed way short,” Stough said. “But with Hall’s eagle at 18 it didn’t matter anyway. He just hit a great shot and deserved to win.”
