Jack Michael leads Cabell Midland to AAA golf titles; Lewis County's Underwood 4th in AA

WHEELING, W.Va (WV News) Before we look at individual and team champions from the 2024 West Virginia high school golf championship, here is a story from Wednesday that will sum up what its like to play the Jones Course.

Hurricanes Parker ODell can say he had the best shot of the week.

Hole No.

11 tees off from atop a mountain into a green down below.

Both sides of the hole are flanked by trees.

The green is on a slope that rolls good shots off it.

It was 163 yards downhill, ODell said.

Not much wind.

I went with an eight iron.

It was common to see multiple golfers miss the green in succession.

In all three classes, no golfer finished under par on par-3 holes for the tournament.

If you get above the pin, its hard to stop it, ODell said of No.

11.

In the group before us, a girl lipped a putt out, and it rolled all the way back to her feet.

ODell stuck it right by the pin, spinning it in for a hole-in-one.

Right when I hit it, I hit it solid, ODell said.

It was all over the pin.

It hit right by it and spun back in.

Had a bunch of cheers and screams.

It was cool.

Wasnt expected.

It hit, and we thought it lipped out.

I looked back from my bag and it was in.

On the very next hole, he had a quadruple bogey.

Such is golf at Oglebay resort.

Cabell Midland's Jack Michael approaches the No.

9 green at the Jones Course at Oglebay Resort during the first round of the 2024 WVSSAC high school golf championship.

CABELL MIDLANDS MICHAEL LEADS WIRE-TO-WIRE IN CLASS AAA A steady climb for Cabell Midlands Jack Michael reached the summit on Wednesday as he claimed the individual state golf championship for Class AAA with a two-day total of 6-over par.

After finishing third as a sophomore and second as a freshman, Michaels senior season ended at the top.

Michael will play golf collegiately at WVU.

It feels good, Michael said.

Ive had a great high school season.

To end it this way feels great.

Ive played super well this whole season.

Leading into this tournament, I wasnt in my best form, but I grinded it out.

Michael led entering the second day and never fell below the top spot once he had it.

I felt pretty good today, Michael said.

The course is playing so hard.

I grinded it out yesterday.

For the most part, I did the same today minus some hiccups on the last few holes.

Its a total grind out there with the conditions.

He feels that he has been playing his best golf all season.

He takes his mindset from a pretty good golfer Scottie Scheffler.

Play aggressive to conservative targets, Michael said.

Thats what Scottie Scheffler does.

Dont take anything too aggressive, but dont lay off.

I tried to put myself in good positions.

Michael seemed to have the best reads on the tabletop-like greens that were a subject of hatred among golfers after the round.

The greens were lightning fast.

Borderline unplayable in some areas, Michael said.

With wind, as well, you have to be in the right positions out here to score.

People were putting it back to themselves.

Really hard.

His experience with the course is what gave him an edge.

Theres not many areas to put the pins at here, but this is my fourth state tournament, Michael said.

Ive played here so many times that I know how to attack the pins.

It made it a little easier for me.

I cant think of another place where you have to be more experienced to get around, Michael said.

You cant miss.

Cabell Midland also won the Class AAA team championship, finishing at 31-over par with three all-state golfers.

Im so proud, Michael said.

Theyve worked so hard.

We werent sure that we would win.

That work delivered.

University placed third at 69-over par.

Owen Estel narrowly missed all-state honors by tying for ninth place at 18-over par.

The top eight finishers for each class are named all-state.

Honorees for Class AAA included Michael, 2023 champion Tommy Evans of Washington (+12), Greenbrier Easts Isaac Hutchison (+14), Hurricanes Kellen Pauley (+14) and Josh Gooden (+16), Cabell Midlands Carson Sergent (+15) and Alex White (+15) and Winfields Stephen McDavid (+17).

Lewis Countys Scott Underwood watches the line during the 2024 WVSSAC High School Golf State Championship.

LEWIS COUNTYS UNDERWOOD TOP FOUR IN CLASS AA Shady Spring finally broke the plane.

After finishing as the state runner-up in 2023 and fourth in 2022, the Tigers claimed the 2024 team championship with a dominant 59-over par total.

Shady Spring won the championship by 17 strokes.

All four of Shadys golfers were all-state honorees, each finishing in the top 8.

Tyler Beard led the way at 15-over par to place second in the state.

Cooper Ward was third at 20-over.

Jackson Williams placed fifth at 25, and Grant Winkler tied for seventh at 28-over.

Wheeling Centrals Luke Tiu came away with the individual championship as he shot 12-over par for a two-day total.

He had three birdies and 10 pars in the final round to overcome a triple bogey and a double bogey.

Wheeling Central placed second as a team.

Lewis Countys Scott Underwood cut his first-round score in half and trimmed the fat, shooting a 7-over par 78 to finish fourth.

I definitely improved on approaches a lot, Underwood said.

That helped me.

I made a birdie on hole No.

17, the hardest hole.

That made me very happy.

Underwood, a senior, was an all-state selection for the first time after narrowly missing it a season ago.

Im very happy, Underwood said.

I was hoping to make the top 10 after yesterday.

To say that I was fourth in my senior year, Im very happy.

Ive had a great team, a great coach.

I cant ask for much better.

They pushed me along and helped me focus.

The Minutemen placed fifth overall at 134-over.

Joining Tiu, Underwood and Shady Springs unit as all-state golfers were Chapmanvilles Justus Mann (+27) and Frankforts Bryson Moorehead (+28).

EAST HARDYS TEETS TOPS CLASS A East Hardys Jordan Teets dunked one of three birdies for the entire tournament in Class A on hole 18 to secure the individual championship in Class A at 14-over par.

The shot came from the fringe as he challenged a nasty pin placement that took narrow misses on a 40-foot trickle.

I hadnt been hitting my driver good all day, Teets said.

I was slicing it, so I decided to hit it as hard as I could.

I hit it over the trees dead straight.

It felt good to have a good tee shot.

We had 97 into the pin, so my dad, whos also my coach, told me to leave it short to the fringe.

I hit it two inches off and put in a 15-footer for birdie.

I hit it perfect.

To draw that up and execute perfect that rarely happens.

Teets had four birdies in his round, shooting 3-over in day two to secure the win.

His total on Wednesday was the best in the entire state.

The front nine, I had some really good shots to go even, Teets said.

It got sketchy on the back.

I missed a par putt by a quarter of an inch.

I two-putted for double on No.

12.

Right after that, I made another birdie putt from the fringe.

Everything came together, solid golf.

He says hes dreamt of the moment since he was young.

Ive talked about being a state champion in any sport since I was a little kid, Teets said.

To be here today and be able to say Im a state champion is crazy.

I never thought I would be able to say that Im a state champion.

Its crazy.

Teets was also a major contributor to East Hardys basketball team that made a deep state tournament run earlier this year.

He says his favorite sport is golf.

Ive played basketball since the second grade, Teets said.

My dad played golf in college.

Ive fallen in love with it.

To love the game of golf means you love it one day and hate it the next, but I would just rather play golf than anything.

I wish golf season lasted all year.

Its over, but I went out high.

Its one that he says he became invested in as a freshman.

He credits his growth to time spent with a professional coach.

My granddad, he has a house in Florida and his buddys brother was on the PGA Tour, Teets began.

He gave me his coachs number, so I went down to Georgia to take lessons in June of 2023 and August of 2024 with him.

That guy knows more about golf than anything.

When you have a foundational swing, it teaches you to play better under pressure.

St.

Marys won the state title at 71-over par, winning by 17 strokes over Charleston Catholic.

The Blue Devils were led by Trent Renner at 16-over par.

Teets and Renner were joined by Montcalms Rocky Frye (+20), Wahamas Grant Roush (+21), Charleston Catholics Will Gruse (+22) and Ben Carew (+27), St.

Marys Preston Lawhon (+25) and Tripp Morrison (+30) and Gilmer Countys Braylon Mencer (+30) on the list..

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