Collin Whittington’s two-day trip to the Leachman Buick-GMC-Cadillac/KHSAA Boys’ State Golf Championship ended on Wednesday with a tie for 66th place.
The Caldwell County senior finished his two rounds at 18-over par after being just outside the top 20 on day one.
Whittington began each round on the back nine of the Bowling Green Country Club. He started strong on Tuesday, overcoming bogeys on his first two holes to nail three birdies and make the turn at 1-under.
After a bogey on No. 1, Whittington scored an eagle-3 on the par-5 second hole thanks to a chip-in just off the green.
He finished the nine holes at 4-over and carded a 3-over 75 with just 30 putts in his round.
Wednesday’s second round wasn’t as kind with a scorecard that showed no birdies and seven pars. Whittington was able to make par on his final two holes and finished with an 87.
Lexington Catholic’s Charlie Spiller won a three-hole playoff with Pikeville’s Cam Roberts and Allen County-Scottsville’s Barton Rutledge to claim the state title. All three finished at 1-under par.
Whittington tied for the seventh-best score among Region 1 golfers who qualified for the state championship round. He played four of his six 18-hole rounds this season in the past three weeks.
After spending five weeks at the Governor’s Scholars Program over the summer, Whittington’s golf season got off to a late start. He was still able to produce a pair of top-10 finishes before the region tournament.
His seventh-place tie at the region tournament saw him become the first Caldwell County golfer since 2003 to qualify for the state tourney.
