5 golf storylines to watch across The Times area in 2024

The 2024 high school golf season, both girls and boys, is ready to tee off. Here are five storylines we’ll be watching across The Times coverage area.

Who will be The Times area’s new top shooter?

Drake Kaufman, The Times Boys Golfer of the Year each of the past three seasons, has graduated Ottawa and moved on to Illinois Central College. With his departure enters a question: Who will be the new best boys high school golfer in The Times’ 13-school coverage area?

A smart wager might be his former Pirates teammate Chandler Creedon, who beat out Kaufman for a Class 2A regional championship last year before having an off day at sectionals and ultimately missing the cut for the state tournament. But Creedon’s not the only contender ... or the only one wearing an Ottawa polo shirt this season.

Any individuals going down to Bloomington/Normal?

Creedon wasn’t the only one who had a disappointing day at sectionals last fall, as he was one of 13 nonsenior male golfers across the area who advanced out of regionals into sectional tee times but no further.

Boys sectional qualifiers eligible to return this fall after missing out on the IHSA State Finals last year include Creedon and his Ottawa teammates Jacob Armstrong, Bryer Harris, Seth Cooper and Colt Bryson; Fieldcrest’s Carter Senko and Nathan Buchanan; Sandwich’s Noah Campbell; Streator’s Nolan Ketcham; Somonauk’s Aiden Wold; Seneca’s Grant Siegel and Keegan Murphy; and Serena/Newark’s Payton Twait.

Without a doubt, their top goal this year is to make the cut and play come mid-October in Bloomington-Normal.

What does Piper Stenzel have in mind for an encore?

The Seneca freshman – no surprise, as she comes from a family with a strong golf background – was hands down the area’s top girls golfer, winning the 2023 Times Girls Golfer of the Year accolade after winning team and individual regional championships, coming in 12th at the Pontiac Sectional and placing tied for 33rd at the Class 1A IHSA State Finals.

So what’s next for Stenzel in 2024?

Can any girls teams make it to Decatur?

It’ll be tough. In fact, only three schools in The Times coverage area entered full girls teams in the IHSA postseason tournament.

Seneca, led by Stenzel and another strong (and eligible to return) player, Shelby Welsh, was the most successful girls team, winning the Class 1A St. Bede Regional before placing sixth at the Pontiac Sectional, three places away from advancing. The Irish did lose a couple of their top players to graduation, however.

Fieldcrest tied for fourth at the St. Bede Regional, just missing the cut to sectionals, and has its top player from last season, Jessica Schultz, eligible to return.

And Ottawa placed 10th at the Class 2A Bradley-Bourbonnais Regional.

How about boys teams?

That’s a different story.

Despite the loss of their ace, the likeliest candidate would have to be the Ottawa Pirates. Ottawa barely missed out on qualifying for the state tournament as a team last season, tying for third at the Class 2A Freeport Sectional and coming out on the wrong side of a scorecard tiebreaker with Burlington Central.

The Pirates have five returners – Creedon, Armstrong, Harris, Cooper and Bryson – who shot well enough at regionals last year that they would have qualified for sectionals as individuals, have won five consecutive regional championships and will be swinging for their program’s eighth team berth at state and first since 2021.