For the third straight year, the Marshall County boys are the First Region Champions and senior Jay Nimmo won his third consecutive individual title at Murray Country Club on Monday. The Marshals shot 311 to win by 15 strokes over second place St. Mary (326) and McCracken County was third just one stroke back of the Vikings at 327.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this group”, Head Coach Keith Bell said. “It wasn’t some of our best golf but we were able to get it done. We’re advancing and that’s what the goal is.”
Tournament favorites Nimmo and St. Mary’s Rocco Zakutney were paired in the last group with Garrett Rikel of McCracken County and Hunter Reynolds of Trigg County.
Zakutney shot even par the first six holes to lead Nimmo by one stroke, who had two bogeys and a birdie through that span. Nimmo parred the next three while Zakutney played them 1-over and they were tied at 1-over par 37 after the front nine.
“I felt like I was hitting better on the front and we shot the same score”, Nimmo said. “He made every putt…you’ve got to credit him.”
Zakutney held a one stroke lead after the 10th hole and when his tee shot found a bush on the par three 11th hole, he went on to bogey the hole and the two were tied again through 12. Zakutney birdied 13 to Nimmo’s par to take a one stroke lead and a birdie by Nimmo on 14 drew them even again at even par.
A bogey on 15 by Zakutney gave Nimmo a 1-stoke lead, then trouble found the St. Mary junior on the 16th hole when his ball found the water and he went on to double-bogey while Nimmo parred the hole to take a 3-stroke lead. Nimmo shot par on the final two holes to finish his final regional tournament round with an even par 72. Zakutney birdied the final hole to finish two back at 2-over 74.
“I thought I had him on 11 when he hit it into a bush, then he birdied 12 and 13…so those three holes were huge”, Nimmo said. “Then it caught up to him a little on 16 when he hit it in the water”.
When asked how it felt to win his third title he said, “It’s pretty cool to win three straight…not many people have done that”. Nimmo’s three-peat is the first in the region in 19 years.
After his struggles on the front nine with 6-over par, Camdyn McLeod shot 1-under on the back nine to shoot +5 for the tournament and finish in third place at 77. David Jack Morris shot even-par through the front nine and 8-over on the back nine to finish up at 80 to take seventh place in his very first regional tournament. Trey Wall placed 11th with a round of 82 and Preston Futrell just one back at 83 to finish 13th.
Bell was proud of his players who ran into trouble at times but stuck with it and grounded out their rounds.
“That’s what I told the boys…the time you have a bad shot you’ve got to understand there’s probably somebody on your team somewhere on the course having a good shot”, Bell said. “So they’ve got each others backs and that’s the thing I try to get them to focus on.”
Bell was proud of Nimmo’s round and told the Mississippi State bound senior as the two were walking up 18, “You’re going to walk up many more 18th fairways”.
There’s plenty more golf to be played as the team prepares for the KHSAA State Golf Championships at Bowling Green Country Club but it will be Head Coach Keith Bell’s final trip to state after announcing his retirement.
“This is my last year”, Bell said. “It’s hard…I’m going to be honest with you but this group, this family of players and parents and this program…it’s in a great place. I feel whoever takes it on is taking it in a good place and I got it handed to me in a good place so hopefully we can just maintain that tradition as one of the best golf programs in the state of Kentucky. I’ve been blessed to be a part of that and been blessed with some really good players.”
It is a fitting end to his career as the Marshals head coach with their third straight title and trip to state. Bell has been head coach for seven seasons, the last six the Marshals have made the trip to the state championships.
“My first regional tournament was here and we missed it by one stroke that year and then we finish up here and we win it”, Bell said of his first and final regional tournament at Murray Country Club.
Nimmo is the reigning KHSAA State Championships individual medalist and the 2019 Kentucky Mr. Golf. The Marshals finished fourth at last year’s state tournament.
The seven individuals from the First Region that will join the Marshals at state are:
Rocco Zakutney, 74 (St. Mary)
Sammy Greenwell, 78 (Crittenden County)
Tyler Dew, 78 (McCracken County)
Hunter Reynolds, 79 (Trigg County)
Peyton Purvis, 80 (St. Mary)
Davis Vessels, 81 (McCracken County)
Grant Whitaker, 81 (Murray)
Photo gallery from Monday’s regional championship (click to scroll)
