In a year full of impressive performances, Geneseo’s Hayden Moore saved the best for last.
The Maple Leaf junior golfer finished second at the Class 2A state tournament at the Weibring Golf Club in Normal for the highest individual finish in Geneseo history. He closed with an overall score of 142 after a 1-over 72 Friday was followed with a 1-under 70 Saturday.
Moore was tied for the lead after the first round and began Saturday 2-under through eight holes. He drained a 12-foot par putt on 18 to force a playoff, which he ultimately lost to Champaign Central’s Wade Schact, but that didn’t take away from what Moore accomplished.
“I am definitely proud of myself because from the beginning my goal was really just to make it to state, I mean, so to play as well as I did was pretty good,” Moore said.
Moore hovered around par both Friday and Saturday and never allowed anything worse than a bogey to meet his scorecard in the final round.
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“The way I would describe his golf game in the last few days would be steady,” Geneseo golf coach Scott Hardison said. “He hit the shots that he needed to hit and he had a plan where he wanted to hit the ball. He worked his way around the golf course well.”
Even after two straight bogeys at Nos. 9 and 10, Moore bounced back with a birdie on 13 and finished the back nine at even par. Moore was aware he was in the running for a state title, but tried to put it in the back of his mind.
“I was definitely nervous before today, but I have been putting in a lot of work before this and knew I was ready for this opportunity,” Moore said. “I knew my game was good enough and went out trying to stay calm and patient. It turned out to be a good round.”
Moore celebrated his second-place medal with his teammates, parents, brother and grandparents who all made the trip to Normal.
It ended a season which included a regional team title and an individual third-place finish at the Western Big 6 Conference meet for Moore.
“It was definitely a pretty fun year to remember for most of us,” Moore said. “We haven’t been that successful in the past as a team, but this year we knew we had potential.
“And I would definitely say this year has boosted my confidence quite a bit. This tournament showed me that I can compete with some of the best in the state. I’m excited to come back, I know I have a few things to work on, but from getting close to making tournaments to being one of the top players is just exciting.”
Other local golfers include Galva’s Jaxson Willer (30th) and Sherrard’s Andrew Boland (58th), who competed at the Class 1A state tournament at the Prairie Vista Golf Course in Bloomington.
In the girls Class 1A state tournament at the Red Tail Run Golf Course in Decatur, Mya Mirocha finished as the top local with an eighth-place finish.
Mirocha shot a 2-over 74 Friday before following with a 76 in the final round. She was 13 strokes behind Mt. Carmel’s Madelyn Young, who won the state championship by four strokes.
Orion’s Sofia Fernandez (41st), Rockridge’s Hannah Graves (49th) and Ridgewood’s Gracie Russell (56th) also competed at state.
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