FORSYTH, Ill. – Eli Verning was cruising through the back nine at Hickory Point Golf Club during Monday’s Decatur (MacArthur) IHSA Class 3A Boys Golf Sectional.
The senior was 2-under-par heading into the 18th hole, but a three-putt double bogey set him back to even-par 72 for the round, which was still the third-best score of the day.
It was good enough to earn him a trip to the state tournament at The Den at Fox Creek up in Bloomington. Alton’s Sam Ottwell and Edwardsville’s Mason Lewis also qualified as individuals.
Other Kahok scores included a 78 from Ryker Shea and an 80 from Drew Bailey. Casen Compton (85), Henry Stirnaman (89), and Lucas Owen (92) rounded out Collinsville’s team.
The Kahoks finished in fifth place on the day with a team score of 315, two strokes better than Edwardsville in sixth.
Washington won Monday’s sectional with a 304 followed by Minooka at 305 and Chatham Glenwood at 306.
O’Fallon just missed out on qualifying its whole team to the sectional, after taking fourth in the Collinsville Regional with a team score of 296. Chatham Glenwood won the regional with a 282 followed by the Tigers (289) and Kahoks (294).
Still, O’Fallon qualified five members of its team as individuals, none of them making the cut to go to state. Tyler Murray and Max Bortz both shot 6-over-par 78. The cutline was 76.
Also at the sectional as an individual was Belleville West’s JoJo Jones who shot an 80.
