Photo by Laine Litton
Head Coach Keat Litton, Davis Gurley, Chase Kyes, Wes Sauceda, lan Norman, Luke Ballintine, Assistant Coach David Bush with the AHSAA Class 7A state championship golf trophy. Photo by Laine Litton.
The Spain Park High School boys golf team saved its best for last this spring.
The Jags put together a great stretch of golf over the last few weeks of the season, capping it off with a win in the Class 7A state tournament. The state title is Spain Park’s first since 2016.
The state tournament at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail’s The Shoals course was held May 13-14, with Spain Park posting a score 10 shots better than runner-up Vestavia Hills, which had won the three previous 7A state crowns.
The tournament was shortened to 27 holes due to impending weather concerns on the second day, but the Jags stretched a two-shot lead following the first day into a 10-shot lead over the final nine holes.
Chase Kyes continued his great play for the Spain Park program, as the junior and University of Alabama commit shot a tournament-best 5-under par. He edged Enterprise's Jon Ed Steed by a single stroke to win the individual title for the second consecutive season.
“We played really good team golf,” Spain Park coach Keat Litton said. “For the past several years, we’ve had the best player in the state, and Chase has played so well. Last year was ridiculous in what he did [winning state by four shots], we just didn’t have the other scores to complement him. This year, that’s one thing we’ve been able to do.”
To Litton’s point, the rest of the Jags put the team in position to capture the title. Wes Sauceda finished ninth individually, shooting 3-over par for the tournament. Ian Norman tied for 11th, while Luke Ballintine and Davis Gurley tied for 17th.
At the sectional tournament, Vestavia topped Spain Park, but the Jags were able to advance by a single stroke over Hoover. At sub-state, they knocked off the Rebels, which also happened to be Spain Park’s first tournament win of the year. Kyes and Ballintine shared low medalist honors in that tournament as well.
“They were so happy. The kids truly believed it when they did what they did at sub-state. They knew it all along. When they played like they did at sub-state, it gave them belief. It made a huge difference,” Litton said.
Litton was most impressed at the way Spain Park’s golfers found ways to play complete rounds at a high level toward the end of the season. The potential was there all spring, but struggles at the end of rounds cost the Jags at times.
Even after the first day of state, the Jags held a two-shot lead but were not completely satisfied.
“No one was satisfied or okay with what we were doing,” Litton said. “That’s who these kids are.”
It worked out for the Jags, as they captured the blue map trophy. Kyes has one more year, but Ballintine, Sauceda, Norman and Gurley were seniors, along with Clete Ponder and Drew Herman. Herman and Gurley will play collegiately at Montevallo, while Ponder and Norman are headed to the Southern Union State Community College.
