GREENFIELD — It sounded like the final scene from your favorite golf movie.
It was the final act of the Hoosier Heritage Conference Tournament for Greenfield-Central senior Noah Mohler.
For a high school golfer, the conference tournament is one of the “major championships” played for during the season.
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Mohler, the Hancock County Boys Golfer of the Year, was a successful putt away from winning the HHC individual title.
He missed a five-footer on No. 18, but was given a second chance in a playoff, competing against New Castle’s Dillon Bergum. Both golfers finished with a two-over-par 73.
On the Par 4, No. 1 Hole at Fall Creek Golf Club in Pendleton, and with a large gallery gathered around the green, Bergum missed his putt for par. Mohler was a foot closer on No. 1 than he was on No. 18. Again, he was just one putt away from the championship.
“When I lined it up, I was looking directly at my family, my friends and my opponents,” Mohler recalled from the May tournament. “I knew I would never have another chance at winning the conference tournament, so I took my time. I knew it would be big for me and the school.”
It wasn’t the best weather for playing golf, but that was fine with Mohler. It rained most of the day, adding a degree to the difficulty, and it was raining steadily on the tournament’s 19th hole.
“The conditions were tough, but I have always played well in the rain,” Mohler said.
“It was now or never. It’s my senior year. I lined it up, prayed about it and it went in. I’ve worked real hard on my putting, and it dropped.”
Mohler said he thought he would have the upper hand in the playoff. He had won a playoff, on the second extra hole, over the summer — another tournament where weather played an issue.
“(Bad weather) usually gets to people eventually, but he was able to tough it out,” Greenfield-Central coach Russ Wiley said. “He has a demeanor that is good for golf. He is centered, emotionally, and has been very consistent this year.”
An even-keel, cerebral approach has helped Mohler have success throughout his Cougar career. He doesn’t get too high. He doesn’t get too low.
Wiley said that Mohler sets himself apart from others by seldom having a really bad hole.
The senior golfer doesn’t like to take questionable chances on the course.
“For me, I try to play smart. If it’s a risky shot to get to par, but could turn into a triple-bogey, I will play it safe,” Mohler said. “I’m not going to play hero ball. I’d rather play smart, shot by shot and make it up on the next hole.
“It’s my senior year, I have the skills. It is a matter of applying them and reminding myself not to get down after a few bad shots.”
His approach and talent have helped Mohler become a three-time regional qualifier. He went as a freshman with teammate Clayton Long and as a junior with classmate Kyle Arrowood. He missed by two strokes making it through as a sophomore.
Getting through this year was a little extra special. The entire lineup consisted of seniors and, for the first time since 2013, the Cougars advanced as a team instead of just a couple of individuals.
Mohler began playing golf because he wanted to be able to do something with his friends. Playing with some of his closest friends at Yorktown’s The Players Club at Woodland Trails in the Muncie Central Regional was a great way to wrap up his high school career.
“I was honored to win (the conference) and represent Greenfield in that way, but getting out of the sectional as a team was a big one,” Mohler said. “We had always played New Pal and Mt. Vernon and fell short. We’re all seniors and to go out with those guys and get to regional our senior year was big.”
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Now that the rest of the spring athletes of the year have been revealed, the Daily Reporter will unveil the softball and baseball honorees over the course of the next two days.
Friday, we’ll take a look at the Hancock County Softball Player of the Year, hailing from New Palestine, along with the other nine members of the all-county team.
Saturday, we’ll have the baseball player of the year, a member of the sectional champion Greenfield-Central Cougars, along with the rest of the 10-member all-county team.
The Daily Reporter’s Annual Sports Awards will follow a week later, in the June 29 edition.
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