WESTFIELD
Sam Slaughter used an eagle and six birdies as a way of introducing himself to Wood Wind Golf Club on Monday.
The Center Grove senior shot a 6-under-par 65 to secure medalist honors while leading the second-ranked Trojans to a nearly flawless first-place performance at the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference boys golf tournament.
Center Grove finished with a team score of 274 to beat runner-up Carmel by 12 shots. North Central placed a distant third with a score of 314.
It was the seventh MIC tourney championship for the program and third under coach Matt Rodman, who was glad to see his team return to form after a fifth-place showing over the weekend at the 21-team Hall of Fame tournament in Peru.
“None of us were very pleased with how we played on Saturday, so it was really nice to turn right back around and get right back on the golf course to be able to compete again,” Rodman said.
Slaughter was the first Trojans player to finish his round, which featured a shotgun start. He played No. 9 first, and by the 14th hole he was at 3-under and sensing a career-best score was a possibility.
“I was just like, let’s keep this going and see how low we can go,” said Slaughter, who as a sophomore just missed being part of the 2019 squad that placed second to Carmel at Wood Wind. “This was my first time ever being out here and seeing everything.
“There were a few holes that I definitely would’ve liked to know exactly where to go, but other than that it was pretty straightforward.”
Junior Luke Beetz fired a 69 for Center Grove; junior Sam Hord and senior Brandon Heffner were both 1-under with 70s and Drew Rowen carded a 75.
The rain that fell in the early morning hours of Monday made it look as though the tournament might have to be moved to another date. Ultimately, the weather cooperated and Center Grove dominated.
“This morning, I was checking the radar just to make sure we could get it in,” said Beetz, who started his round on No. 7, a par 5 that he birdied. “The course was playing a tad easier today. The par 5s were definitely a little bit shorter, but the pin locations were still hard.”
Heffner, who like Slaughter is committed to be part of the Marian University men’s golf team starting this summer, wasn’t surprised by the Trojans’ performance.
“Not at all, to be honest,” Heffner said. “The course was actually really gettable today, so me shooting 1 under, I definitely left a couple shots out there that I could’ve gotten back.”
Center Grove looks to keep its momentum going Wednesday when it plays at Hillview Country Club in a match against Columbus North and Franklin.
