Adam Wood, Zionsville, became the 86th Indiana Boys State
Junior Champion with a 2 & 1 victory over Tom Kocks, Fort Wayne, in the
championship match.
Wood was able to claim both medalist and match play titles,
becoming the first player since 1997 to accomplish this feat.
Walking to the fourth hole, one down, Wood dumped his driver
into the fairway bunker on the left and left his second shot in the tall,
fescue grass, well short of the green.
His third shot flew the green into an unplayable lie. Finally on the green in six shots, Wood
conceded the hole when Kocks was within a few feet of the flagstick in three
shots.
“Match play is different in that one hole is one hole,” said
Wood. “You can make a really high number
or a really low number and it doesn’t matter much. I try to go back to my fundamentals and move
on to the next hole.”
Wood regrouped and hit a beautiful shot hole high on the par
3 5th hole. Kocks knocked his
about 15 feet below the hole and both players walked away with par.
Wood drove the green on the split-fairway, short par 4 and
Kocks drive leaked off to the left and found the first cut of rough, about 25
yards from the green.
Wood’s eagle putt missed just left and he settled for his first
birdie of the day.
“This morning I didn’t make any birdies and I don’t like not
making birdies,” said Wood. “After
getting that first birdie at 7, I realized that there were birdies out there to
be made. I finally executed a hole like
I wanted to and I started playing more aggressively.”
Just one down after the turn, Wood goes for the green with
his second shot on hole 10 and is rewarded when his balls finds the front of
the green. Kocks approach shot bounces
off the right side of the green and his following chip is short. After missing his par putt, Kocks concedes
the hole to Wood and the match is all square.
Over the next four holes, the lead would change three
times. On 15, Wood almost holed out his
shot from the fairway for an eagle. He
missed the birdie putt but was able to claim the hole when Kocks missed his par
putt.
“I was keeping the ball on-line there were just some
misreads on those short par putts,” said Wood.
“I knew if I kept them on line eventually they would drop.”
Wood was able to get a par putt to fall on hole 16 and claim
the match at 2 & 1.
With several prestigious titles on his resume, Wood still
puts this win near the top.
“This was always an event I would love to win,” said
Wood. “I love the tournament format
because it has both stroke play and match play.
Some really great players have won this event and I am very pleased to
be a part of the group of past winners.”
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