Chairman's Message
Dublin Jerome wins rain shorten 2018 Canterbury Kiely Cup
Four-time Kiely Cup champs, Walsh Jesuit Warriors made a run but couldn’t catch the boys from Dublin Jerome yesterday in what turned into a one-day shootout at the 2018 Kiely Cup at Canterbury Golf Club.
The first round of the Kiely Cup on Sunday was canceled due to the remnants of Hurricane Gordon. The boys were only able to complete two holes before the rain started to really come down. Head Professional Bill McKinley and Course Superintendent Mike LoPresti sounded the alarm turning the tournament back into a Monday 18-hole event.
Under cold, windy, wet conditions, Monday’s play resumed under “lift, clean and place.” Noted for its good drainage, there were only a few wet spots in the fairways. Meanwhile, Canterbury’s greens were as usual, quick and holding.
With Canterbury’s rough already high from the DAP Championship this past Labor Day weekend, Jackson Chandler, Tyler Groomes and Mason Wagner all shot in the mid-70’s to seal the deal for coach Taylor Hare’s Celtics. Their 4th player, Ethan Snyder also finished strong posting 81 under demanding course conditions.
Two-time State D1 champion, Maxwell Moldovan captured medalist honors after falling short last year by a stroke, firing a 1-under 71. Asked how many shots he left out there, “I only hit nine greens but my putter didn’t let me down.” Must be nice.
Third place finisher and defending 2017 D1 State Champion Lakota East will be a force again this year at State thanks in part to their #1 player Kyle Schmidt, who came home a shot behind Moldovan with par 72.
Senior Jackson Chandler from the winning Jerome team finished third individually with 73.
This year marked the 14th Kiely Cup. The invitational event was originally an 18-hole tournament during its first nine years of existence (2005-2013) but switched to 36-holes when it was decided these elite high school players needed the opportunity to improve a poor opening round.
During the event’s annual banquet on Sunday evening, the players were treated to sage advice on how to improve their game. Former Canterbury assistant professional and longtime Shawnee Head professional, Steve Mulcahy knows a thing or two about the golf swing, and how to prepare to play your best after competing on the Nike, Canadian and Asian tours. He also holds the course record at Shawnee and Scioto Country Clubs (63). The 2010 Northern Ohio PGA, “Teacher of the Year,” has tutored hundreds of young golfers over the years. Some say teenage boys can have short attention spans. That wasn’t the case Sunday evening.
-Craig Fraser