YORKTOWN — Sam McWilliams’ past came full circle on Thursday afternoon at The Players Club at Woodland Trails.
Sitting at 4-under-par 55 through 15 holes during the Muncie Central Regional, the Mt. Vernon senior hit a snag on 16.
With five birdies, one bogey and nine pars behind him, McWilliams posted his second bogey of the day on the 250-yard, par-4, 16th hole to put him 3-under-par 61.
Usually, nothing to worry about for the seasoned golfer, but a similar situation cropped up and cost him two years ago.
As a sophomore in 2019, McWilliams shot a 5-over-par round of 77 during the regional tournament, which fell two strokes shy of tying for a state finals berth.
A primary reason for his previous 18-hole total were three consecutive bogeys on the last three holes after carrying a potential state-qualifying 2-over-par score into the final stretch.
“It kind of stirred it back up, but I’d like to think I learned from it the first time and was able to come back and handle it,” McWilliams remarked on Thursday’s late-round bogey. “The next lie I was able to make a five-foot, par putt and that kind got the confidence back, and I was able to par the last hole, too.”
Back-to-back pars on the 17th and 18th holes cemented his 3-under-par 69 on Thursday and secured his first-career state finals invitation.
McWilliams’ score was the event’s third best among all competitors and second best of the five individuals that locked down spots in next week’s IHSAA state finals’ field without an advancing team.
“It means a lot because ever since I was a freshman at high school, I’ve always wanted to go. I’ve been working, probably, since sixth grade, but definitely ever since I got into high school. It’s been the main goal,” McWilliams said. “It was worth the wait, for sure.”
Without an IHSAA state tournament last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, McWilliams competed at the regional level both as a freshman and a sophomore and came up short.
In 2018, he shot an 8-over-par 80 as the team qualified for regional and placed 12th overall at the tournament. As a sophomore, McWilliams played as an individual regional qualifier, but so he had to wait two years for another shot at state.
“It was tough. I was really bummed out afterwards because of the way that I finished, but I didn’t want it to defeat me completely. Just learn from it and move on,” McWilliams said. “Just be patient and keep working and it paid off finally.”
It has been a historic season for the Marauders and McWilliams, who won their 10th Hancock County team title in 12 years, their first Hoosier Heritage Conference team championship and their first team sectional trophy since 2016.
“It’s probably as special as it can get. It’s been the best season I’ve had in my high school career,” McWilliams said. “It’s icing on the cake.”
McWilliams put himself in early position to breakthrough by finishing 2-under-par 34 after the first nine holes with five pars, three birdies and one bogey.
He opened up the back nine with a birdie on the 10th hole and parred the next three before a birdie on 14 and a par on 15.
Mt. Vernon teammates Aden Cappelletti (87), Kyran Maxfield (86), Asher Cotton (85) and Aaron Arkenau (85) added to McWilliams’ score to give the Marauders a 325, which was good enough for seventh overall on the regional leaderboard.
The total improved on Mt. Vernon’s score of 335 it posted on May 15 to beat New Castle by one stroke for the HHC title on the same course.
Hamilton Southeastern claimed the regional team title with an 8-over-par 296, followed by Cathedral’s 301 and Fishers’ 313 with the top-three schools advancing to the two-day state finals at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel on Tuesday.
“We’ve been here six times, including our practice rounds yesterday, so it is like a second home course for us,” Mt. Vernon head coach Tom Kirby said. Obviously, our scores are improving, but unfortunately, we’ve run out of time.”
Tipton was fourth with a 318, while Bellmont won a tiebreaker over New Castle for fifth place as both teams carded 324s. Yorktown was eighth at 326, Bishop Chatard took ninth at 331 and Monroe Central was 10th at 335, securing the spot via tiebreaker over Norwell, who was 11th.
Richmond (336), Park Tudor (344), Delta (344), New Palestine (348 for 15th), Connersville (358), Union County (359) and Eastbrook (381) rounded out the final placements 12th through 18th.
New Palestine was led by Matt Barada’s 7-over-par 79. Braeden Baker turned in an 86. Landon Beaty shot a 93. Evan Griffith had a 95, and AJ Williams shot a 90.
Cathedral’s Ryan Ford earned medalist honors with a 4-under-par 68 after defeating Bellmont’s Winston Brown in a playoff tiebreaker.
Brown advanced as the top-scoring individual without a state-qualifying team, one stroke ahead of McWilliams.
New Castle’s Dillon Bergum (70) and Derek Tabor (72) will both move on as individual state qualifiers, placing third and fourth, respectively.
Tipton’s Maverick Conaway (75) earned the fifth and final individual state berth in a playoff tiebreaker with Connersville’s Jonah Graham (75) and Norwell’s Landon Chamberlain (75).
Fortunately, McWilliams didn’t have to concern himself with chance.
“Sam is just a solid player, who understands the game. He has that experience as a tournament player to keep everything up to a strong performance level,” Kirby said.
“He had a great round going two years ago as a sophomore, and then he bogeyed his last three holes. Today, he bogeyed the 16th hole and I was thinking, I should go down there and remind him, but I thought, ‘No, I don’t think I’ll have to.’ When he got in here, he said, ‘All I was thinking about was how I finished two years ago.’ Again, that’s his experience and his drive to be good.”
McWilliams’ best-career round at The Players Club was 5-under-par 67 during a fall tournament in 2020, but Thursday’s round score was his top performance playing from the “tips.”
The IUPUI commit has played rounds at Prairie View in the past, including a round this spring, but he’s going into the state finals without any expectations, except to stick to his game.
“I’ve played it twice, so I’m pretty unfamiliar, but I’m sure I’ll get a practice round in there before state, and I’ll be fine,” McWilliams said. “Confidence wise on that course, it’s a tough course. You can’t really expect any number out there. You just got to take it one shot at a time.”
