|
Published: 6/20/2012 | Updated: 6/17/2013
By MATT SCHUCKMAN
Herald-Whig Sports Writer
Trent Pancake was one of the few players Tuesday afternoon at Westview Golf Course to win the battle with the wind. It helped having practice. The Zionsville, Ind., golfer played through blustery conditions a week ago in the Indiana High School Athletic Association state tournament on what he considered a more open and less wooded course in Franklin, Ind. So he knew how to judge the impact the wind might have on his shots. "I was able to control the ball flight a lot better," Pancake said. "I think it really helped me hit a lot of decent shots." It earned him a spot in the final pairing, too. Pancake shot a 3-over 74 in the boys 16-17 division of the Pepsi Titan Little People's Golf Championships and is tied with Jake Brinker of Amelia, Ohio, for a one-stroke lead over Jimmy Murphy of Belleville, Ill. "I'm going to enjoy being in the final group," Pancake said. "I haven't been in the last group in a two-day tournament in a long time." Staying there will be a challenge. There are 13 players within five strokes of each other, including Quincy's Cory Boots (78) and Zach Burry (79). Both Quincy High School golfers said the wind was an issue. "I was surprised the wind kept up through the day," Burry said. "It wasn't too bad." It was his putter, not the wind, that left him in the fourth to last group. "I actually hit the ball pretty well, but I couldn't putt," Burry said. "I didn't make a putt." Should he make more putts, Burry knows he'll be in contention. "Hopefully I can get some strokes back tomorrow," Burry said. All he needs is a boost in confidence like the one Pancake picked up Tuesday. Starting on the back nine, Pancake parred the first three holes before stringing together three straight bogeys. However, his round changed on the par-4 16th when he holed out from 113 yards for eagle. "I had a little bit of a breeze behind me," Pancake said. The breeze didn't help him at all on the par-5 17th, but he was able to roll in a 20-foot birdie putt. "It really turned my round around," Pancake said. "It helped me the rest of the round." Although Pancake was a little wobbly with his driver, he hit confident iron shots the entire round. "It was boosting my confidence because I was hitting close to the flag," Pancake said. It's the type of confidence he needs to become just the second member of his family to take home a title. Pancake is part of a large contingent from Indiana to have called the LPGC a summer home. His mother, Libby, and aunt both played here. So have his brother, two sisters and several cousins. His sister, Annabelle, won the girls 8-9 division last year, making her the first member of the Pancake family to win a title. Her big brother would love to be the second. "I'd say there is a little bit of pressure there," Pancake said. "But it should be fun." -- mschuckman@whig.com/221-3366
|
