‘It’s just incredible.’ Capital golfer shoots 7-under par to repeat as district champ
Capital golf coach Matt Fraley could only shake his head.
Capital junior Trevor Garus shot a 7-under 63 to repeat as the 5A District Three boys golf champ Wednesday at Quail Hollow Golf Course. And the 16-year-old UCLA commit mounted a furious late charge to ensure his team made it to state, too.
So after handing out all the medals and trophies, Fraley didn’t have many words to describe what he just saw.
“It’s incredible,” he said. “It’s just incredible.”
Garus cruised to the individual title, finishing four shots ahead of Eagle’s Wheaton Ennis, who shot a 67. But instead of celebrating the first back-to-back 5A District Three championship in 12 years, Garus gushed about Capital earning a trip to state with four new teammates around him.
“It means a lot to me because I love team golf,” Garus said. “It’s a lot of fun, and playing for my school means a lot. I’m not just out there playing for myself. I’m also playing for the other guys on my team.”
Capital needed every one of Garus’ shots for the Oct. 7 and 8 trip to Teton Lakes Golf Course in Rexburg. Capital finished fourth at the district tournament Wednesday, grabbing the final state-qualifying spot by a single stroke ahead of Mountain View.
Anything less than Garus’ 63 would have forced a playoff. But Garus delivered a series of improbable shots to punch Capital’s ticket to state.
Garus chipped in from 90 yards out on No. 5 for the first of his two eagles. Then he turned it on when he heard Capital’s second golfer was struggling, draining 30-foot putts on No. 15, No. 16 and No. 17 to lead a late charge.
The 30-footer from the fringe on No. 15 saved par. The putt on No. 16 scored Garus his second eagle. And the 30-footer on No. 17 marked his third birdie of the afternoon.
“There was a lot of passion going on,” Garus said. “I really wanted to get the team there. That was super important to me.”
Garus didn’t record a single bogey, recording his third round of 63 in high school competition this fall. He also shot 62 in a practice round at The River Club, he said.
“He’s a phenomenal player,” Fraley said. “He knew what he had to do today, and he went out and did it.”
EAGLE REPEATS AS TEAM CHAMP
The Mustangs shot a combined 279 to win their second straight district title, finishing 11 strokes ahead of Boise.
Four Mustangs finished inside the top 10: Ennis in second place, as well as Beau Sahr in a tie for fourth (1-under 69), Nathan Ishaya in a tie for sixth (even-par 70) and Zach Shipp in ninth (3-over 73).
Timberline (318) and Capital (319) finished third and fourth, rounding out the state qualifiers from the Treasure Valley.
BISHOP KELLY SWEEPS 4A AGAIN
The Bishop Kelly High boys and girls golf teams swept the 4A District Three team championships Wednesday for the second year in a row.
It was the third consecutive title for the girls, who also claimed the top five individual places. Freshman Cara Carter finished atop the leaderboard with a 4-over 76 at Lakeview Golf Course in Meridian.
“This is our home course, so I already knew it,” Carter said. “The second hole I doubled, but it was pretty steady. I was just consistent.”
Carter bested a field that included the two most recent district champs in teammate Margaret Smock (2021) and Vallivue’s Claire Hall (spring 2022).
The BK girls totaled 324 — 127 shots ahead of second-place Emmett, the only other team to qualify for state.
Joining Carter at state will be Smock (80), Maeve Fitzgerald (84), Sally DeFranco (84) and Jessi Moddie (87).
The Bishop Kelly boys (315) won by 30 strokes over second-place Columbia (345), and Vallivue was the final state qualifier in third at 351.
Starting in the No. 4 spot, Andrew Moodie led the way for the Knights with a 77 and a silver individual medal. Teammates Dallas Jackson (78), Ayden Dyson (84), Niclas Bischoff-Jones (81) and William Comstock (79) rounded out the scoring for BK.
Individual honors on the boys side went to Vallivue’s Jaxon Wright, who carded a 2-over 74.
BOYS GOLF
5A District Three Tournament
Wednesday
At Quail Hollow
Par 70
Team scores (top 4 to state)
1, Eagle 279.
2, Boise 290.
3, Timberline 318.
4, Capital 319.
5, Mountain View 320.
6, Middleton 321.
7, Owyhee 324.
8, Rocky Mountain 325.
9, Centennial 337.
10, Borah 345.
11, Meridian 356.
12, Nampa 371.
13, Kuna 387.
Top 13 individuals (all to state)
1, Trevor Garus, Capital, 63.
2, Wheaton Ennis, Eagle, 67.
3, Bobby Kincaid, Nampa, 68.
t4, Ben Haws, Boise, 69.
t4, Beau Sahr, Eagle, 69.
t6, Landon Gerrish, Centennial, 70.
t6, Nathan Ishaya, Eagle, 70.
8, Gabe Huebner, Boise, 72.
9, Reid Piron, Boise, 73.
9, Zach Shipp, Eagle, 73.
t11, Caden Ross, Mountain View, 74.
t11, Jack Bell, Timberline, 74.
13, Tucker Dilks, Owyhee, 75.
4A District Three Tournament
Wednesday
At Lakeview, Meridian
Par 72
Team scores (top 3 to state)
1, Bishop Kelly 315
2, Columbia 345
3, Vallivue 351
4, Skyview 395
5, Ridgevue 399
6, Caldwell 410
7, Emmett 420
Top 7 individuals (all to state)
1, Jaxon Wright, Vallivue, 74
2, Andrew Moodie, Bishop Kelly, 77
3, Dallas Jackson, Bishop Kelly, 78
4, William Comstock, Bishop Kelly, 79
5, Brady Dion, Columbia, 80
6, Niclas Bischoff-Jones, Bishop Kelly, 81
t-7, Bryson Forest, Columbia, 82
t-7, Conner Murri, Columbia, 82
GIRLS GOLF
4A District Three Tournament
Wednesday
At Lakeview, Meridian
Par 72
Teams scores (top 2 to state)
1, Bishop Kelly 324
2, Emmett 451
3, Vallivue 452
4, Columbia 485
5, Skyview 494
6, Ridgevue 604
Top 6 individuals (all to state)
1, Cara Carter, Bishop Kelly, 76
2, Margaret Smock, Bishop Kelly, 80
t-3, Maeve Fitzgerald, Bishop Kelly, 84
t-3, Sally DeFranco, Bishop Kelly 84
5, Jessi Moodie, Bishop Kelly, 87
6, Claire Hall, Vallivue, 88
This story was originally published September 28, 2022 at 7:29 PM.
