BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
It seems improbable that the Valley’s best golfer keeps getting better every year, but the results prove it. Sharyland High junior Jun Min Lee finished tied for third at the UIL Class 5A state golf tournament on Tuesday. The two-day tournament began Monday at White Wing Golf Club in Georgetown.
Third is Lee’s best finish at state. Last year, he finished tied for 16th, and he tied for 10th during his freshman year.
“I had a good overall day, I just messed up a couple times,” Lee said. “I was even par on the front nine, and one over on the back nine. Just kind of like a slow, rough, but decent round.”
Lee posted a two-day score of 143, which tied him for third with HS Chang from Cedar Park.
A pair of Dallas Highland Park golfers took the top two spots. Turner Hosch was second with a 141, and Trip Carter ran away with the state title, finishing at 134.
“I knew that I had to play well, because I have played with a lot of those leaders in tournaments outside of high school competition,” Lee said. “I knew what they were capable of, and I knew what I was capable of. I knew if I wanted to compete, I would have to be about five under. Then, Trip Cater was on fire. He was 68 yesterday, and then he came back with a 6-under 66 today to take home the title.
“Just by playing with these guys outside of the Valley, it’s definitely a great experience.”
Lee’s ability to keep his nerves in check sets him apart from other high school golfers. He showed that again Tuesday, when he made a great shot to save par after going into the water. His calmness and consistency were on display as he started his second round with nine straight pars.
“The biggest lesson I learned today was to stay patient,” Lee said. “The first day I stayed really patient and finished two under. The first nine holes, I stayed true to that. I didn’t have a single birdie or bogey, all nine pars. I was really a little stressed toward the end of the front nine, because I was hitting a lot of good shots, a lot of good putts, but it just wasn’t dropping. So when I made the turn, I just stayed patient and didn’t change my approach or my swing. For 10, 11 and 12, I went birdie-birdie-birdie. It taught me so much about how golf never ends. Every shot counts. You never know who is where. Golf is just you against the course when you are out there.”
Lee said the key to his success was his short game.
“White Wing, I had played it once before,” Lee said. “Our coach got us into a tournament there. It was good preparation for the actual state tournament. When I first got up there, I really didn’t favor the course as much as I do now.
“I have a whole different perspective on this course. It’s a really nice course that you really have to place your shot on. You can’t just take out a drive and hit and try to get as close to the hole as possible. Instead, it’s about where do I need to put this to set up my next shot. The approach onto the green is much more important than being close on your first shot.”
Lee said he needed some time to work out how to play the course, but having now played it for the state tournament, he has a new appreciation for the course.
“I can officially say that this course has been a great experience for me, and I had a lot of fun being able to play on a course like this,” Lee said. “You don’t find a lot of courses like this anymore, where you have to place a shot off the tee with your 3-iron.”
Lee is eager to continue his steady rise up the state leaderboards next year.
“A huge fire has been lit inside me to get first place next year,” Lee said. “It’s such a big fire, that it might be the biggest blaze in the world.”
At the Class 6A tournament at Legacy Hills Golf Club, also in Georgetown, McAllen Memorial senior C.W. Phillips had a lot of ground to cover in Tuesday’s second round.
Phillips shot a first-round 83 Monday, which tied him for 64th overall. He improved his score Tuesday with a 6-over 78. He rose to finish tied for 62nd overall.
VALLEY HS GOLF RESULTS
UIL Class 6A Boys State Tournament
Tuesday, May 15
Final Round
Team Scores
1, Austin Westlake, 283-290 — 573; 2, Austin Vandergrift, 294-287 — 581; 3, Houston Memorial, 293-289 — 582; 4, Plano West, 296-293 — 589; 5, Clear Springs, 293-299 — 592; 6, Humble Kingwood, 295-299 — 594; T7, Dallas Jesuit, 301-297 — 598; T7, Southlake Carroll, 291-307 — 598; T7, Houston Stratford, 301-297 — 598; 10, San Antonio Johnson, 302-298 — 600; 11, Humble Atascocita, 309-298 — 607; 12, McKinney Boyd, 326-311 — 637.
Individual Scores
*-won playoff for second place
1, Matthew Riedel, Houston Stratford, 68-67 — 135
*T2, Matthew Denton, Austin Westlake, 70-67 — 137
T2, Tommy Boone, Plano, 7-67 — 137
T4, Pierceson Coody, Plano West, 69-70 — 139
T4, Andre Jacobs, Clear Springs, 69-70 — 139
6, William Moll, Houston Memorial, 69-71 — 140
T7, Jack Randle, Woodlands College Park, 73-68 — 141
T7, Trey Bosco, Austin Lake Travis, 73-68 — 141
T9, J. Holland Humphries, Austin Westlake, 67-75 — 142
T9, Garrett Martin, San Antonio Johnson, 72-70 — 142
T9, Christian Hansen, San Antonio Reagan, 70-72 — 142
Other Valley Leaders
T62, C.W. Phillips, McAllen Memorial, 83-78 — 161
UIL Class 5A Boys State Tournament
Tuesday, May 15
Final Round
Team Scores
*-won playoff for second place
1, Dallas Highland Park, 286-278 — 564; *T2, Frisco Centennial, 296-301 — 597; T2, Cedar Park, 301-296 — 597; 4, Boerne Champion, 302-305 — 607; 5, Granbury, 304-307 — 611; 6, Georgetown, 311-319 — 630; 7, Magnolia, 320-311 — 631; 8, Lubbock Cooper, 315-324 — 639; 9, Dripping Springs, 314-327 — 641; 10, Colleyville Heritage, 332-321 — 653; 11, Austin, 336-325 — 661; 12, Wichita Falls Rider, 345-326 — 671.
Individual Scores
1, Trip Carter, Dallas Highland Park, 68-66 — 134
2, Turner Hosch, Dallas Highland Park, 73-68 — 141
T3, HS Chang, Cedar Park, 75-68 — 143
T3, Jun Min Lee, Sharyland High, 70-73 — 143
5, Henry Frizzell, Frisco Centennial, 72-72 — 144
T6, Ben Dune, Cedar Park, 72-73 — 145
T6, Vishnu Sadagopan, Alvin Shadow Creek, 74-71 — 145
T8, Phil Price, Georgetown, 73-73 — 146
T8, Kyle Cox, Carrollton Creekview, 73-73 — 146
T10, Scott Roden, Dallas Highland Park, 73-74 — 147
T10, Hudson Weibel, Dallas Highland Park, 72-75 — 147
T10, Jake Holbrook, Granbury, 67-80 — 147