Wheeling – Greenbrier East standout Isaac Hutchison made his way to the state high school golf tournament last year riding some serious momentum.
In his freshman season, Hutchison had tied Woodrow Wilson senior Jonah Willson for low medalist honors at the Class AAA Region 3 tournament with an eye-raising round of 5-under par 66.
The momentum gained from the regional performance was quickly quelled by the brutal layout of the Jones Course at the Speidel Golf Club at Oglebay Park.
Five double bogeys and a dreaded eight on the par-4 12th hole left Hutchison with a first round score of 90.
Undaunted by the tough and uncharacteristic first round, Hutchison was eight shots better in round two, finishing inside the top-25 overall.
Hutchison left Wheeling not defeated, but motivated. Motivated to get better.
This year, it was a similar scenario heading to Wheeling.
Hutchison took low medalist honors at the Region 3 tournament and was confident heading into his second state tournament appearance.
The young phenom opened his tournament with a 79 and back that round up with a 77 on day two.
His two-day total of 156 placed him in a tie for third place which garnered him all-state honors for his sophomore season.
“It feels great. There has been a lot of improvement from last year,” Hutchison said. “I put in a lot of work this past season and in the past off-season. My coaches and my teammates have helped me. It has just all paid off in this moment.”
His efforts on the final day came under some brutal conditions that sent scores soaring.
Although the sun was shining bright, it was a chilly day with windy conditions. The combination of the sun and wind quickly turned already fast greens into a test of survival.
Of the 116 players that started the day, no one finished in red figures and only three players were better than Hutchison under the extreme conditions.
Hutchison credited his faith with helping him survive the day.
“My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I pray before every round and I couldn’t have done it without him,” Hutchison said. “I read the greens well today and made some putts I really needed to make. I also made some errors like everybody else did, but it’s a hard course.”
Keep an eye on this young man when the 2025 season rolls around.
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Midland Trail surprised some people around the state when it captured the Class A Region 3 title led by three freshman and a sophomore.
The Patriots made the trip to Wheeling having never seen the course previously, but full of confidence.
As expected, Midland Trail struggled, but was far from defeated.
Head coach Justin Barnhouse stated he was pleased with how his team hit the ball. The problems for the Patriots came on the slick greens which were faster than anything his team had seen before.
Lesson learned and Barnhouse is already planning on getting his team on some tougher courses with faster greens for what he hopes is another run to the state tournament in 2025.
Freshman Landyn Cordle had a solid showing, finishing tied for 19th and improved six shots over day one in the tough conditions of round two.
The most noticeable trait for the Patriot squad were the smiles in the tough conditions.
Something tells me there are some big things ahead for the boys from Hico.
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A popular subject each year is the difficulty the Jones Course provides for high school golfers.
There is no doubt that even accomplished golfers struggle on the narrow fairways where level lies are basically impossible to fine.
Most every shot that are off of the narrow fairways are met with a harsh punishment. The greens are equally as treacherous. A putt from above the hole is most often a three-putt in hiding.
I have to agree that the course is a bit extreme for the majority of the golfers who are not single-digit handicap players.
Add in the severe slopes of the fairways and mountainous terrain, seven-hour rounds are not uncommon.
The chatter from some around the tournament was that the state tournament would not be returning to Wheeling next year.
I verified with the WVSSAC that a decision has not been made.
The bid package will be put forth in the next few weeks and a decision is not expected until December at the earliest.
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Rocky Frye from Montcalm had to be coaxed back onto the links after not playing golf as a freshman.
Last year Frye finished runner-up in the Class A individual competition. This year as a junior, he once again shined with a third-place finish to earn all-state honors for the second consecutive season.
Maybe the third time will be the charm for this talented player.
Andrew Addair from River View also had a strong tournament finishing tied for 12th-place in Class A, moving up three spots from last year.
Nicholas County senior Maddox Smallwood closed out his high school career in a tie for 18th-place in his second straight Class AA state tournament appearance.
