By: Garrett Mitchell, Staff Writer
garrett@thewoodrufftimes.com
The shouts, cheers, and water bottle showers filled the air as the Woodruff golf team celebrated their second class 3A state championship in three years.
To experience the moment, they first needed an unsung hero.
Kyle Smoak had no idea at the time just how big his chip shot from the rough on the 18th hole of the course at Woodruff’s Three Pines Country Club would be.
Because nobody knew what the score was.
Woodruff, Beaufort, and Wren had been locked in a three-team stalemate for most of the second day of the class 3A state golf tournament. As the pairings for each team finished the final hole, only rumors and speculation about who was winning could be dispersed among the large contingent of fans from each school.
As fate would have it, nobody had won anything yet.
But Smoak, facing a 20-foot chip from behind the pin and off the green, laid his shot up to within inches of the cup and sank his chip shot put to save par. Fellow seniors Blake Kelly and Gage Howard would follow with par and bogey, respectively.
Head coach Bill Brasington figured that McKinney needed to eagle the 18th hole and hope that Beaufort’s Jerry Bruns did not birdie. Instead, both golfers birdied the hole leaving Brasington uncertain about his team’s chances.
Beaufort claimed to be the winners, there was speculation that the Wolverines had finished one shot ahead, and Wren also clamored that they were in fact, the champs. It was chaos in the clubhouse for nearly half an hour as scores were tallied. When tournament officials finally reached a consensus, the result was a three-way tie.
In retrospect, Smoak’s heroics gave the Wolverines the new life they desperately needed and saved Woodruff’s championship hopes.
“As I was coming up 18, Coach (Bill) Brasington came up to me and was like, I know you are having a bad day, but we need to get this shot in,” explained Smoak. “For some reason, that kind of sparked something, and I was like, alright, I need to get this score in. I thought I hit a good lay-up shot, but I hit it too far, and it was blocked out by the tree to the short left of the green. So, I ended up having to hit a seven iron and punch it near the green. I had to short sight it and play a high shot to get it up and down, and I was just telling myself to leave myself an easy put.”
Adding to the hysterics of the moment, it was discovered that a Wren golfer inadvertently signed for an incorrect score. He would be disqualified, resulting in the Wren team falling out of the tie. Left standing was Beaufort and Woodruff, both with a two-day combined score of 609, and a one-hole sudden death play-off was announced to decide the championship.
Played on the par four hole nine directly in front of the clubhouse, the top four golfers from each team faced off in a winner-take-all showdown. This time, the Wolverines would leave zero doubt. Woodruff won the hole with a one over par 17 while Beaufort recorded a double bogey 18.
This time, the Woodruff Wolverines were the champs, with no doubt in anyone’s mind.
McKinney, who finished tied for individual state runner-up honors, set the tone on the hole nine play-off with a beautiful opening drive to within 50 yards of the pin in the center of the fairway. He described the feeling of being state champions again.
“This feels awesome,” he said. “I knew when we started the back nine that we were pretty close, if not even. There were a lot of nerves on the back, but to win the play-off and the state championship feels awesome.”
Woodruff sat in third place after the first 18 holes of the tournament played on day one. Beaufort led with a team score of 299. Wren was in second with a 303, followed by Woodruff with a 305.
The Wolverines rallied on the front nine on day two, passing Wren and pulling into a tie with Beaufort as the teams made the turn to the back nine as the dramatic finish began to materialize.
Gage Howard, who finished as the overall individual medalist, state champion, and 3A golfer of the year, was sensational on both days. His steady shooting kept the Wolverines within striking distance.
Howard finished with a tournament low two-day total of 143, one under par.
“This really shows how hard work pays off,” Howard said. “Sometimes you have a bad round, and you start doubting, but I trusted myself, and I was patient. I didn’t start out hot, and I bogeyed (hole) one both days, but I was patient and stayed with it and started making birdies on the back nine.”
Woodruff’s third all-state player, Blake Kelly, would be the one to deliver the exclamation point. Kelly’s put for par on the ninth hole play-off would win the title outright. Set up five feet from the pin, with ice in his veins, Kelly calmly drained the shot and touched off a raucous celebration by Woodruff supporters who had gathered to watch.
“I understood the situation, and I’ve been in it before,” stated Kelly. “This one was a lot more nerve-wracking. When they were adding up scores, I thought we had lost by one shot, but when they rounded us up and said we were going to play one more hole, I just rounded up the team and said we’ve got this. We have played this hole hundreds of times, and we know this course better than anyone out there. I’m glad I had that put to win.”
McKinney finished with a two-day, three over par total of 147. Kelly tallied 149. Wren as a team finished in third place with a team score of 611, two shots off the lead behind the Wolverines and Eagles following the disqualification.
Head coach Bill Brasington was bursting with pride over what he called a special team during the aftermath and celebration that followed his team’s championship win.
“This is just such a great group of young men,” he said. “They are so fun to work with and so coachable. Frankly, I am privileged to get to hang out with them. All year they have done everything that has been asked of them, and they believed in themselves and their teammates and the process we have.”
Woodruff’s fifth senior, Tucker Rogers, just joined the golf team for his final year. While he did not play in the championship tournament, he will graduate with not just his diploma but a state championship ring which he says he will always cherish.
“I’m just so proud of these guys,” Rogers said. “They have been playing this sport since they were very little, and I just tag along and get to see the fruit of their hard work. I’m excited for them, and to see their hard work come to fruition is really incredible. This is a great feeling and something I will always remember.”
Smoak added that once the team realized they would have a chance in a playoff, there was a refocus and belief that the championship would be staying in Woodruff.
“I had no doubt,” he said. “I had two days that were not up to my expectations, and I was just glad to have a shot.”
McKinney and Kelly reveled in the celebration for over half an hour after the trophy and awards presentation, taking pictures with friends and family and soaking up the final culminating moment of their high school careers.
“This is awesome,” McKinney said. “It shows a lot about our coach and kids we have on this team and how hard we have worked.”
Kelly added, “I was a part of the team last time, but I didn’t help in winning it, so this is pretty awesome.”
Howard was a sophomore on the 2021 championship team. He said his experience during the state tournament then was a big factor in his brilliant performance this season.
“It’s funny how you mature in golf, and it really does affect a lot,” Howard stated. “I shot 70 in the first round in 2021, and then the next day I shot a 78. I have matured a lot and learned how to finish.”
Photos Courtesy of Like Mother Like Daughter Photography
Author: Tracy Sanders
