BIG RAPIDS — A little rain was already falling, but David Ansley didn’t get soaked until his teammates rushed the green and doused the Traverse City St. Francis junior with water after he capped off a historic day for the Gladiators.
Ansley sunk a 20-foot putt on the first playoff hole to win an individual state championship after St. Francis claimed the Division 3 team title by a wide margin at Ferris State University’s Katke Golf Course on Saturday.
“I lined it up and was like, ‘Just give this a whirl. The team’s already won. If you hit hard enough, it’s probably just going to go straight and go in. Let’s just hit it and hope — be aggressive,'” Ansley said.
That hope and aggressive approach paid off with dual state championships.
“This means a lot. I’ve been playing for a while, and I really wanted the team to win it more than anything,” Ansley said. “We’ve worked really hard, and this was a goal we’ve had all season. From where we were at the beginning of the season to now, it’s just amazing.”
Although the Gladiators’ 18-stroke state championship victory was locked up well before the final hole, Ansley had to go to a sudden-death playoff against Elk Rapids sophomore Baron Vollmer after the two finished tied for first with a two-day total of 152.
Ansley had to make a comeback after carding an 80 on Friday as Vollmer was tied for first after the first day with a 73. The junior Gladiator shot an even-par 72 on Saturday to force the playoff as Vollmer went seven over on the day with a 79.
Even after Ansley made his putt, he had to wait. Vollmer still had a putt for par to extend the playoff to a second hole, but his attempt could not find the bottom of the cup.
“David has a contagious smile, and he was excited but reserved because Baron still had his putt,” St. Francis head coach Jim Hornyak said of Ansley’s reaction after making the putt. “And when Baron missed, everybody was just kind of looking around like, ‘What’s going on?’ When the official said it was over, that was a great moment.”
Ansley said these championships mean “everything” to him and his teammates.
“I would die in battle for these guys,” Ansley said.
“I’m happy as heck for David,” Hornyak said. “My respect goes out to Baron. He’s a great player with a lot of great golf left in him.”
Elk Rapids head coach Chris Hines said Vollmer played “great golf,” putting together a championship-worthy performance.
“He finished strong and played his last six holes at one under par to get him to the playoff. I know he’s disappointed now, but he’ll look back and be pretty happy with how he performed. It stings, but it’ll be a great learning experience,” Hines said. “He already said he’s ready to come back next year and make that one stroke up. He’s looking forward to it.”
And the Elks should be looking forward to 2025 as well.
“Elk Rapids golf has a really bright future,” Hines said. “We’ve got Baron for two more years along with a bunch of guys from this year’s team and some good freshmen coming in. We’re only going to get better from this season.”
Benzie Central’s Christien Westcott finished the tournament in 21st place after qualifying for states as an individual. He finished with a two-day total of 165, firing a 79 on Saturday.
St. Francis won with a two-day total of 640, shooting a 312 on Saturday behind Ansley’s 72, Josh Slocum’s 77, Casey Jackson’s 79, Owen Jackson’s 84 and William Gibbons’ 86. Jackson Lumen Christi finished runner-up with a 658.
Casey Jackson finished in ninth overall (159), Slocum was 16th (162), Owen Jackson was 26th (167), and Gibbons was 47th (174).
Hornyak said he was nervous right up until the end — even as his Gladiators built and held the large lead — but he was still confident in his players.
“Coming into this, I knew we had an excellent shot,” Hornyak said. “These guys started playing some good golf down the stretch. … I knew we had the team that could win, it was just a matter of if they would show up.”
And show up they did.
“These boys are awesome. They’re just great young men and fun to be around,” Hornyak said. “These boys are so excited. It is a great feeling. These boys have been working hard all season long, and hard work pays off. This has been a lot of fun.”
Hornyak gave a lot of credit to Bay Meadows’ Scott Wilson, who helped train this Gladiator team.
“He’s just a great guy, and he has really helped us tremendously,” Hornyak said.
The Gladiators return their entire team, which would have to make them the prohibitive favorite in 2025.
“We’d like to enjoy this a little bit right now; but having everybody come back next year, hopefully we’re even stronger,” Hornyak said.
DIVISION 4
Glen Lake’s Houtteman takes 2nd place
ALLENDALE — Michael Houtteman took a look at the leaderboard just one time Saturday.
The Glen Lake junior was putting together a stellar round during the second day of the Division 4 state finals at Grand Valley State University’s Meadows Golf Course, but he wasn’t sure where he stood until he stepped onto his final hole.
When he checked, Houtteman saw he was just two strokes back. If he could eagle the last hole, Houtteman would force a playoff for the individual state championship. So he got aggressive and went for it.
“I was comfortable out there,” Houtteman said. “I knew I had a pretty good round going, but I didn’t know how close I was until late.”
But Houtteman could not hole out his short iron shot and ended up carding his lone bogey on the day to finish with a two-under 70 and a two-day total of 151. Clarkston Everest’s Will Pennanen won with a 148.
“He played better today, kind of how he’s been playing all year,” Glen Lake head coach Lee Houtteman said. “He played pretty much bogey-free all day, which is impressive because you can get into a lot of trouble on that course.”
Houtteman finished with an eagle on the 418-yard, par-5 first hole and birdied the 464-yard, par-5 fourth hole to go along with that one bogey. He missed just two greens and hit every fairway in regulation to end the tournament on quite a high note.
“This might have been the easiest 70 I’ve ever seen, so it was exciting to watch him do so well,” Coach Houtteman said. “I knew if he shot like he could, he’d be right there.”
Houtteman said he is excited to come back for his senior year.
“I’m just trying to get 1 percent better every day,” he said. “That’s my focus right now.”
Houtteman left Allendale after the finals and headed down to Brighton, where he will compete in the IMG World Qualifier on Monday. If he qualifies, he will play the IMG World Tournament in San Diego.
“I’ve just got to stick to the plan and keep playing the way I have been,” he said. “I just have to pray the ball finds the hole a few times.”
Harbor Light Christian’s Vaughn Henagan and Charlevoix’s Hudson Vollmer also finished in the top 10 as Henagan placed fifth with a 159 and Vollmer took eighth with a 163.
Charlevoix had the best overall finish of area teams, taking sixth place with a two-day combined score of 691. The Rayders had the third-best round among teams Saturday as Bryce Boss fired an 82, Joe Gaffney shot an 84 and Maxwell Drenth carded an 87 to join Vollmer as Charlevoix’s top four scorers. Eric Arlt shot a 90 on Saturday.
Frankfort’s two individual state qualifiers, Aiden O’Dwyer and Cash Rosum, wrapped up action in the top 50. O’Dwyer was 43rd with a 181, and Rosum was 46th with a 182.
McBain Northern Michigan Christian senior was 17th with a 168, and Traverse City Christian freshman earned a top-100 finish in 80th place with a 195.
Glen Lake took 12th with a two-day score of 722 behind Houtteman’s 70, Jacob Switzer and Gabe Hazelton each firing a 91, Ben Romzek with a 93, and Joel Martin with a 102.
Leland placed 18th at 793. Liam Waskiewicz led the Comets on Saturday with a 94 followed by Colby Connor with a 95, Hayden Vansteenhouse with a 101, Howie Kropp with a 103, and Max Waldrup with a 105.
DIVISION 1
Titans finish 9th, get valuable finals experience
BATTLE CREEK — Traverse City West improved from day one to day two of the Division 1 state finals at the Bedford Valley Golf Course in Battle Creek, but the Titans dropped from sixth to finish in ninth place Saturday.
West combined over the two-day finals to shoot a 631, following a 316 on Friday with a 315 on Saturday.
“We had a great season,” West head coach Todd Hursey said. “For five guys who have never been to the state finals with no seniors in the lineup, ninth place is a good finish for us. Most of the teams end the year with a bitter taste in their mouth, but we’ve had so many good things happen this season — so we’re not going to let this bother us.”
Winslow Robinson led the Titans as the junior took 23rd place with a 154 after shooting a 78 on Saturday. Sean Haggerty, a sophomore, and Duncan Robinson, a freshman, each finished with a 157. Haggerty shot a 77 Saturday, and Robinson fired a 79. Junior Jason Parrish took 60th with a 163, carding an 81 on Saturday. Henry Stachnik, a sophomore, was 87th with a 169 after an 86 on day two.
“Sean, Duncan and Jason do not have much tournament experience at all, so to come into the state finals and put up numbers like that did was very encouraging,” Hursey said. “This is going to be great for our future. The experience they all gained this weekend is huge.”
Hursey said the Titans are “hungry to get better.”
“We’ll have to work hard to get back,” he said. “If we do, we definitely think we can be a contender next year.”