North Bend golfer playing in state tournament
July 29, 2010
By Dan Catchpole
NEW — 12:05 p.m. July 29, 2010
After finishing third in the Washington Junior Golf Association District 2 Championship, North Bend’s Jack Kelly has advanced to the state tournament.
Kelly played for the lead every day during the July 19-20 tournament at Sand Point Golf Course in Seattle, but ran into trouble while putting.
He finished six strokes behind leader Charlie Kern, of Mercer Island.
Jamie Hall, of Seattle, finished second, four strokes behind Kern.
“It was a good, solid, steady tournament for me,” said Kelly, the only golfer from the Snoqualmie Valley to qualify for the state tournament.
While he played strong on the fairway, getting good, straight drives, the 17-year-old ran into trouble finishing off a handful of holes, especially on the back nine during the second day of the tournament.
“I know if I had putted as well as I could’ve, I should have won by six,” Kelly said. “Now, I know what I have to work on for the state tournament.”
Last year, he helped Mount Si High School win the state 3A title for boys golf.
He finished the first day in second place with 74, trailing Kern by three strokes.
But Hall turned in the best performance of anyone in the second round, shooting a 70, to move into second place overall. Kelly shot a 75, and Kern retained first place with a 72.
Kelly needed three putts to finish off a few holes in the back nine during the second round, while Kern and Hall finished them off with one or two strokes.
“The putting stroke is feel-oriented. Either you have it or you don’t have it,” he said.
Despite the bad putts, Kelly liked the course.
“I liked the greens, but they were very challenging” and had a lot of slope to them, he said.
Playing with Hall and Kern, two of his good friends, made the tournament easier, he said.
Before the beginning of the state tournament July 28 in Everett, Kelly was practicing his putting, focusing on controlling the speed and distance of his putts.
Kelly’s strategy at the state tournament is to utilize his strong driving ability and make fewer putts, he said.
It will be the last time he competes in the junior golf state tournament.
Kelly finished 19th in the state junior tournament last year. Mount Si High School’s Michael Rutledge, of Fall City, won the tournament.
Kelly said he expects to be in contention, but acknowledges he will have tough competition.
He is especially focused on Garret Howard, of Spokane; Andrew Whalen, of Ephrata; and Scott Kim, of Richland. Howard, 17, won the District 5 Championship with a combined 133, 14 strokes ahead of the second-place finisher. Whalen, 16, won the District 4 Championship after shooting 144. Kim, 17, finished fourth in that tournament, shooting 147.
Other Snoqualmie Valley golfers competed in the District 2 Championship. Sean Ballsmith, 16, of Snoqualmie, shot a combined 177.
In the girls 16-17 group, Claire Lucas, 16, of North Bend, finished seventh with a combined 204.
Right behind her, Maggie Robinson, 16, of North Bend, finished eighth with 206. In the girls 8-11 group, Caitlin Maralack, 11, of Snoqualmie, finished with 111.
Kelly was expected to tee off at Legion Memorial Golf Course in Everett the morning of July 28. The state tournament consists of three rounds, ending July 30.
Dan Catchpole: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com.
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