Independence High School has only had two golfers make the state golf tournament over the past 19 years.
Now it has a third.
Prior to this season, Daniel Snodgrass in 2017 and David Lane in 2003 had represented the Patriots on the big stage.
Last Monday at the Class AA Region 3 golf tournament held at Big Bend Golf Course in Tornado, Cody Blake added his name to that list.
Tying Shady Spring’s Tanner Vest for the second best score of the day, Blake secured a spot in the state golf tournament which will be played this Tuesday and Wednesday on the Speidel Course at Oglebay Park.
“I just found out Friday in school when (Independence head coach Neil) Byrge told me. I had no idea before,” Blake said. “I thought it was pretty cool.”
Entering high school, playing on the golf team was not on Blake’s radar his freshman year. That all changed in an unusual way when students were forced to stay home during the Covid pandemic.
“I had played golf when I was little and maybe a couple of times a year, but I had never really started playing golf (consistently) until Covid,” Blake said. “I played baseball when I was growing up, but I never really played golf because I was a baseball player. I thought about playing high school baseball, but I just couldn’t get into it.”
A trip to Twin Falls State Park that resulted in a memorable shot was all it took to spark Blake’s interest in golf.
“My dad always played and I went with him one time to play. I chipped in out of a bunker and I was hooked,” Blake said. “I couldn’t wait to go back.”
Being hooked on golf and being good at golf are normally many years apart when one picks up what is widely considered one of the toughest games there is to play.
Ironically, the difficulty of being a good golfer was another driving factor for Blake’s success.
“I remember when I really started playing how hard golf was to play. I was really good at baseball and I was kind of used to being the best,” Blake explained. “When I got into golf, I expected to start beating everybody at golf and I couldn’t do that. So, it made me want to get better and better because of how hard it is to play.”
In regional play as a sophomore, the Indy standout shot 100 and was 20 shots off the number needed to qualify for the state tournament.
The following year as a junior, Blake shot 82 in the regional tournament and was only seven shots from earning a spot in Wheeling.
Even though he was knocking on the door a postseason success, Blake entered his senior year under the radar among a highly talented Class AA field in Region 3.
Two weeks into the high school golf season this year, Blake shot 35 for low medalist honors at Clear Fork Valley Golf Course to let it be known he would be a name to consider when regional play rolled around.
“Yeah, I am a little amazed with it all,” Blake admitted when asked about playing so well that fast. “Everybody always says I am really hard on myself after a round of golf. I have always had high expectations for no particular reason. Basically every chance I had to get on the golf course, I would go. Once I got my drivers license I was going all the time.”
While Blake has worked extremely hard to become the player he is today, the young phenom has one incredibly important characteristic that has helped make him a special player.
“I try to stay pretty calm and not get mad at myself,” Blake said. “I have kind of always been pretty calm.”
His demeanor was put to the ultimate test at Big Bend. Playing on a course that he was not overly familiar with, he also had to deal with firm greens as well as cool and blustery conditions.
Testing his patience even further, putts were not falling liked he hoped they would in his last shot to make the state tournament.
“I had a ton of lip-outs and just some overall bad breaks because of how hard the ground were. The putts just weren’t falling,” Blake said. “It was hard to stay calm that day with all of those birdie putts lipping out or hitting the back of the cup and bouncing out. I really had to stay calm and not blow up. The last few holes were really stressful.”
“I expected to shoot a score that would get me in the state tournament and I was 100 percent pleased with my score in those conditions,” Blake went on to say. ” I had not even seen the course until I played it two weeks prior to the (regional) tournament. I was thrilled with the score and I am really glad that I made it to states. I really wanted that to happen.”
Having accomplished a goal that seemed improbable when he started playing as a sophomore, Blake now faces one of the West Virginia’s toughest courses with very little knowledge of the layout.
“I have never played Speidel before, but I have heard it is very hard, windy, hilly and about everything else that you can imagine,” Blake said, laughing. “I would like to say I won’t be nervous, but I am sure there will be some nerves on the first tee. I just want to go out there and play golf like I know I can and have fun.”
Blake with tee off No. 1 at 10:10 a.m. Tuesday with Blake Hunt (East Fairmont), Jacob Brannon (Robert C. Byrd) and Ally Wellman (Wayne).
