»RELATED: Broken driver doesn’t slow down Green
Green’s placid demeanor was on display on the back nine of the final round of the 89th annual Springfield City Am. He was leading by a wide margin, so victory was never doubt, but he double-bogeyed the par-3 14th at Reid North after leaving himself a near-impossible chip and then three-putting.
He followed that with a pulled tee shot into the trees on No. 15, and that’s when that healthy self-talk kicked in for the 18-year-old Southeastern High School graduate.
Asked what goes through his mind in those moments, he said: “I just think about what I need to do on the next one to make up for it. You’ve got to think about the next one rather than the one you messed up.”
In perhaps the shot of the tourney, Green punched out on 15 and then hit a towering 200-yard 4-iron to an uphill green on the difficult par-5. He two-putted from there and coasted in with a 1-under-par 71 and a 5-under 283 total, winning by 12 strokes.
Joe Turney, 49, shot 79 and finished at 295. Cam Wardley, 22, fired a 76 to come in third at 301.
“It probably was one the best shots I’ve hit in a while,” Green said of that soaring approach on 15 that cleared an infamous over-hanging tree. “It was nice and high and came down in the center of the green, which is where I wanted to be. (Older brother) Gavin, who was caddying for me, said, ‘Are you sure you’re going to get it over that?’ I said, ‘Well, if I hit anything less, I’m not going to get there.’
“I just put it up in my stance and hit it a little more on the upswing. I hit it really pure.”
Turney started the day four shots back but couldn’t put any pressure on the Northern Kentucky-bound player.
He bogeyed Nos. 2, 3 and 4, while Green went on a birdie binge. He was four-under through 10 holes, including a 40-putt for a 3 the par-4 ninth.
“Avery’s got a great temperament for good golf,” Turney said. “He didn’t let that double-bogey rattle him. He didn’t hit a great tee shot on 15, but once he hit that third shot, he got comfortable again and was able to finish it off.”
Wardley, who played at Tecumseh and the University of Findlay, holed out for eagle on the 15th. But he knew from the start there was no catching Green.
“He never really gets upset. He just is hitting greens or getting up and down,” Wardley said. “He doesn’t really get in trouble. He’s a helluva player.”
The tourney didn’t attract a star-studded field, but Green’s winning score was just one off Luke Wells’ victory total last year. The Springfield High School senior-to-be didn’t defend his crown because of golfing commitments elsewhere.
But Green was happy he entered. He’ll play this weekend in the club championship at Locust Hills, where he works, before starting his Division-1 college career next month.
“I was feeling good about my chances,” he said. “I was playing good before and continued it into the tournament.”
The tournament also had individual flight winners.
First flight: Kris Schmelzer 74-307.
Second flight: Jerad Nunamaker 79-325
Third flight: Tim Sullivan 85-342
Fourth flight: Chris DeWitt 89-367
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