Sep. 26—It’s become almost expected that Urbana finishes atop the Frederick County golf scene every year. But the Hawks found themselves in rare territory Tuesday, entering the FCPS championships as the defending runner-up rather than the defending champion.
Yet that didn’t seem to bother Urbana, which returned to the top by sweeping the boys, girls and team titles at Clustered Spires Golf Course. Senior Minh Le was the overall champion, shooting an even-par 72, while freshman Claire Son carded a 77 to outpace the rest of the girls.
The Hawks won their 13th team title in 15 seasons with a 302.
“This group has been growing into this. I expect this. I expect better at districts, to be quite honest,” Urbana coach Joe Cook said.
Yet, the 302 would be pretty good on any day, let alone Tuesday.
All golfers faced saturated grounds and dreary conditions, with intermittent misting rain and blustery winds, that made the round challenging for everyone. Players were allowed to lift their ball out of the bunkers to “rake and place,” and, on three holes, drop with no penalty since there was too much standing water in those sand traps.
No one shot under par, and Le was the only person to break even.
“I like to think of the rain as a great equalizer,” Cook said. “It’s a mental toughness game, and rain certainly forces that upon you.”
For his sake, Le didn’t have too much trouble with the conditions. He said the most challenging part was the rain obscuring the pins from a distance on long holes, but he was able to overcome that with relative ease.
Le was the most consistent golfer on what was otherwise a difficult day, and on the occasion he found himself in trouble, he was usually able to work out of it. Perhaps his most impressive shot came on the par-5 15th hole, when he punched out of the woods from a difficult angle to within five feet of the cup for an eventual birdie.
He was at or under par the entire round, something Cook said he’s come to expect from his senior. Le won the individual title for the second time, following a one-under 71 in 2021.
“I feel like last time was better for me honestly, because I didn’t blow up my last two holes,” Le said. “But winning something is always fun.”
He finished one stroke ahead of Oakdale’s Will Scott, who was one-over with a 73, and two shots clear of Tuscarora’s Griffin Cansler, who was third with a 74. Le played in the second group and didn’t have a sense during his round that he was on his way to another victory.
The same was true of Son, an even-keeled ninth grader who also proved remarkably reliable in just her second 18-hole high school tournament. She hit all but two fairways in regulation, her drives never being the hardest but always being down the middle.
“She’s extremely consistent. Her attitude is superb,” Cook said. “If you look at her, you don’t know whether she’s playing good or bad. You can’t teach it. You either have it or you don’t.”
Son picked up the game in the summer before third grade to play with her mother when they lived in South Korea. She continued her lessons when she moved to Urbana two months after that and has played regularly since.
Son went out for tryouts at Urbana in early August hoping to meet new people and improve her game. Cook was so impressed that he put her in the Hawks’ top four in their first match as a test, and she had one of the best overall rounds that day.
“It got me kind of nervous, but it made me happy,” Son said.
And now, she has an award to back up her play.
“It’s really great to be able to win. It’s a good experience for me,” she said.
Son finished six strokes ahead of Walkersville’s Celine Lieu, who was second among girls with an 83. Brunswick’s Alexandra Swam, the defending girls champion, finished third in that flight with an 86.
In addition to Le and Son, Mason Jenkins (76, fourth overall) and Rylan Bravin (77), the Central Maryland Conference champion, contributed to Urbana’s winning team score of 302. That mark was only one behind the Hawks’ winning total at the CMC championship last Thursday in much better weather.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that this team can go lower than even what we did at CMCs,” Cook said.
They were 28 strokes clear of second-place Oakdale, which scored a 330. Scott led the Bears and was joined in scoring by Zac Taylor (85), Ty Yuhas (85) and JJ Scholtes (87).
They finished one point ahead of Middletown’s 331, good for third place. Jackson Polansky’s 78 paced the Knights, along with an 82 from Dylan Leadbetter, an 84 from Vish Nair and an 87 from Keller Routzahn.
Peyton Cramer shot a 77 for Catoctin to tie for fifth overall. Brunswick’s Blake Whitcomb and Thomas Johnson’s Carter Smith led their respective teams with a 79. Dave Nuckolls had an 80 for Walkersville. Linganore’s Schaffer Wisnom carded an 86. Aiden Wellen’s 97 paced Frederick High.
But the day was all about Urbana, back on top as usual.
“Go out with a bang, you know,” Le said. “Couple wins, it’s great.”