Columbus North’s Willy Davis hits a putt on No. 3 during the Conference Indiana golf tournament at Timbergate Golf Course in Edinburgh, Ind., Monday, May 15, 2023.
The Republic file photo
It all comes down to two days for the Columbus North boys golfers.
Now that they’ve qualified for the first time as a team since 2019, the Bull Dogs hope to be among the contenders for their first state title since 2014. The Boys Golf State Finals start today at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel.
No. 16 North tees off on No. 10 to begin today’s round. Brady Schneider tees off at 9:03 a.m., Jack Schiavello at 9:12 a.m., John Merritt at 9:21 a.m., Willy Davis at 9:30 a.m. and Tyler Wilks at 9:39 a.m. The Bull Dogs will be paired with No. 6 Zionsville and Chesterton.
“Traditionally, I’m a little cautious about how we’re playing heading into the state finals, but this team is peaking at the right time,” North coach Doug Bieker said. “They’re all capable. To compete up there at the state finals, it’s going to take four guys playing well, and they can do that. I’m excited about this week.”
The format for the state finals was tweaked last year. With the format changing from five regional sites to six, there now are 18 teams vying for the team title this year instead of 15. There will be an individual title, as well.
Including North, there are 12 ranked teams in the 18-team field. The top six ranked teams and eight of the top nine will be playing.
The Bull Dogs qualified for the state finals Thursday when they finished one stroke ahead of No. 7 Silver Creek for the third and final spot from the Providence Regional at Champions Pointe. North played a practice round at Prairie View on Monday to prepare for the course and for the experience.
“It’s never easy to get there,” Bieker said. “But I think this team is prepared, and I’ll be surprised if we don’t play well.”
Out of the five golfers for North, Davis is the only one that has played at this stage prior. He qualified last year as an individual after winning in a playoff at the regional.
Columbus North’s Tyler Wilks watches his tee shot on No. 3 during the Conference Indiana golf tournament at Timbergate Golf Course in Edinburgh, Ind., Monday, May 15, 2023.
The Republic file photo
The Bull Dogs are senior-loaded, with four playing in the event this year. This is the last high school golf match for Wilks, Davis, Merritt and Schiavello. Schneider is a sophomore, so he’ll be the top returner heading into next year.
“I think it’s really important for Brady to get there as he helps lead our team in the next couple of years,” Bieker said. “For our seniors to be up there is a testimony to the work that they have done.”
While North won’t be considered a favorite to win the title, Bieker hopes the Bull Dogs can fly under the radar and surprise everyone on Wednesday afternoon.
Bieker recalled back in 2011 when his team was ranked No. 19 and finished in second at state, one shot away from the title.
“I think kind of the goal on Day 1 is to keep ourselves in it,” Bieker said. “I think this team is very capable of shooting a very low round. We kind of did it at Timbergate at conference. This course is a little more difficult than that. But I think this team is capable of putting it all together and being right there at the end on Wednesday afternoon.”
