BURLINGTON — Reid Martin stood in the middle of the fairway on the par-5 15th contemplating the shot that could make him a state champion.
On a soggy afternoon at Avalon Golf Club, the Kamiak junior who was clinging to a one-stroke lead eyed the 225-yard shot over water and weighed his options: play it safe and lay up short of the green and left of the water, or go for it. A good shot would mean a chance at eagle or birdie. A bad shot might go splash.
“There was (thought of laying up), but I just committed to it,” Martin said. “I had the shape of a shot and I just committed to it and hit it.”
Fortunately for Martin, the 3-iron he pulled from his bag was very good, sending the ball just over the pin where it landed softly 15 feet past the hole. Two putts and a birdie later, Martin had a two-stroke lead over his nearest competitor — Edmonds-Woodway’s Ricky McDonald — with only three holes to go.
His thought when the ball landed safely on the green?
“Relief,” said Martin, who at 6-foot-4, 270 pounds looks more suited for football than golf. “Relief.”
Martin’s perfectly struck 3-iron on the 15th hole ended the suspense in the battle for the individual Class 4A state title. He made another birdie on the par-5 18th to finish two-under for the tournament and even for the day. His rounds of 70 and 72 were good enough for a five-stroke win over Broc Johnson of Todd Beamer High School.
Three golfers, including Kamiak senior Dylan Goodwin, tied for third at 4-over par. Goodwin, who will play for the University of Washington next year, shot 72 to match Martin for Wednesday’s lowest round.
Kamiak’s first-round performance on Tuesday made a second straight Class 4A team title something of a foregone conclusion heading into Wednesday’s final round.
Martin’s five-stroke winning margin doesn’t reflect how close the individual battle was for most of the day. All four golfers in the final group struggled on the front nine, and Martin held a one-stroke lead over McDonald at the turn after both shot 2-over 38s.
McDonald moved into a tie with Martin at even par when he birdied the par-5 12th, and the two both made par on the next hole. Things started to unravel one hole later for McDonald when he missed a 5-foot par putt and fell one stroke behind. He made par on 15, losing another stroke to Martin, then bogeyed the last three holes to drop into a tie for third.
McDonald said the missed par putt on 14 was the turning point.
“I couldn’t make any putts out there,” he said. “Anything over 4 feet, I was like, ‘I’m probably going to miss this putt.’”
Eastlake’s Kevin Penner, the 2007 4A champ, birdied three of the first seven holes on the back nine to get within three strokes of Martin, but a bogey on 16 ended any hopes of a big comeback.
Martin and Goodwin were joined in the top-20 by a pair of teammates. Sophomore Mark Strickland tied for 11th at 7-over, and senior Johnny Carey tied for 20th at 10-over. As the only team to have four golfers make the cut after round one, Kamiak cruised to an easy team title with 134.5 points. Woodinville was a distant second with 75 points, while Kentwood was third with 59.
Things were different last year as the Knights topped Ferris by just six points.
“About halfway through (the second round) when all the guys were putting up solid numbers, then it was like, OK, this is happening the way we want it to happen,” said Kamiak coach Jeff Tobin. “If we could write the script, this is the way we’d write it.”
Martin, who tied for seventh at state last year, said it’s never too early to start thinking about next season’s title defense.
“No, it’s not too early,” he said. “Time to start preparing.”
With Martin and Strickland both coming back, the Knights could contend for a third straight team title.
“I think they have a chance,” said Goodwin. “Reid obviously is going to do well next year, and Mark keeps improving. The future looks good for those guys.”
Tobin, on the other hand, was too busy enjoying title No. 2 to worry about 2009.
“It’s really special,” he said. “It’s so hard to win one for crying out loud. These guys came back and they just didn’t blink. They stepped up and those were solid scores for two days. I’m really proud of them.”
At Avalon Golf Course
Final round
Team scores—Kamiak 135.5, Woodinville 75, Kentwood 59, Kentridge 46.5, Curtis 46, Puyallup 41, Redmond 41, Olympia 30.5, Skyview 22, Bellarmine Prep 21.
Individual results—1. Martin (Kamiak) 70-72—142, Tie 3. Goodwin (Kamiak) 76-72—148, Tie 3. McDonald (Edmonds-Woodway) 71-77—148, Tie 11. Strickland (Kamiak) 75-76—151, Tie 15. McCardle (Oak Harbor) 76-76—152, Tie 20. Carey (Kamiak) 78-76—154, Tie 35. Stensland (Snohomish) 78-81—159, Tie 35. Miele (Jackson) 78-81—159.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
