State champion Ottawa’s Chandler Creedon is the 2024 Times Boys Golfer of the Year

The very thing that made the Class 2A state champion Ottawa boys golf team so good is the charateristic that made selecting just one of those state champion Pirates to be the 2024 Times Boys Golfer of the Year so difficult.

They were all really, really good.

For his steady play, his leadership, his consistent improvement over a four-year varsity career and another fantastic postseason performance, Ottawa senior Chandler Creedon is the 2024 Times Boys Golfer of the Year.

“I always knew we had the chance. We all knew it, we all talked about it,” Creedon said of the Pirates’ nearly wire-to-wire, two-day run leading the Class 2A field at Bloomington-Normal’s Wiebring Golf Club in mid-October. “We were all nervous about it, and obviously going into that second day [of the IHSA State Final Tournament], the nerves are really going, sleeping in that cold bed at night.

“Winning it was just a huge relief – the smiles on everybody’s faces, the joy of Ottawa. ... The atmosphere was amazing. It was awesome going into it, and everybody on the team knew we could do well. We were all confident. We’d played that course. There was nothing else we could do other than go out there and play it. And we did.”

And then some, carding a four-man team score of 609. That came in seven strokes better than 2A runner-up Benton and delivered Ottawa its first team IHSA state championship in any sport.

Creedon’s 10-over-par 152 tied for 16th amongst individuals and was the Pirates’ second-best performance state weekend behind junior Jacob Armstrong’s ninth-place 149. As had been the case throughout their Interstate 8 Conference, La Salle-Peru Regional and Kaneland Sectional championship runs, it was the team’s balance over one standout performance that carried Ottawa to its titles.

For his part, Creedon was an individual regional champion for the second year in a row and placed sixth at sectionals, finishing the season with a nine-hole average of 38 alongside the also-low averages of teammates Armstrong (40), Seth Cooper (40), Bryer Harris (37), Colt Bryson (39) and James Threadgill (43).

To a man, the Pirates have said time and again that quality roster depth has been key in not only their team success but in their individual successes on the course as well.

“It was huge,” said Creedon, who as of now is planning to continue his education and golf career at Illinois Valley Community College. “Just knowing you could have that bad day and you could still win or play a good tournament, it’s a huge relief, and it’s a huge confidence [boost] going into the next tournament.

“Our chemistry is huge. We’ve been playing together since we were like 6, 7 years old at Pine Hills.”

To Ottawa coach Keith Budzowski, Creedon’s consistent improvement from a freshman on the Pirates’ eighth-place state team to a senior leader on its state championship scorecard stood out.

“Just his growth over the years,” Budzowski said. “When he was a freshman, he averaged in the low- to mid-40s [over nine holes]. And now as a senior, he wouldn’t even sniff a[n 18-hole] score close to the 80s. It just shows the time and the commitment he put in to get to that level of golf, to be part of that huge accomplishment and be a key player and a leader to the younger guys.”

Budzowski also cited the confidence Creedon brings to every course, every hole, and every shot. He grew up in a golf-loving family and credits his father, mother, stepfather and coaches with helping him develop his game and his trust in himself.

“I think it’s just his confidence in his game, all-around,” Budzowski said. “He knew he was confident with his shot and he could hit his shot. He knows his game, and that he can get it done.”