Day one of golf state championship finals concludes in Bowling Green

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – This morning, over at the Bowling Green Country Club, 90 of the top high school boys golfers from across Kentucky competed in 18 holes during the first day of the state championship.

Three of the five south-central Kentucky golfers finished the day with the fourth best score at just 1-over par.

Starting with Greenwood’s Layton Richey, who actually finished the first round of state tied in the top spot, and today, Richey maintained that solid performance behind birdies on holes one, nine and 12.

The Gator junior was joined on the leaderboards by Allen County-Scottsville’s Barton Rutledge, who also finished 1-over par.

Rutledge finished the front nine 2-under par, but his back half of the day narrowly shifted his score from in the red to just out of it.

Rutledge wasn’t the only Patriot golfer hitting the course today, as Eli Stamper, also from ACS, not only joined Rutledge in the championship, but tied alongside with a 1-over par finish.

Stamper and Rutledge will enter day two of the finals looking to bring the third individual state title back to ACS and first since 1968, while Richey will aim to bring the Gators their first in school history.

As for a couple others competing today, Bowling Green’s Johnny Brown represented the Purples in the competition, rounding out his day 9-over par, and Greenwood’s Ryan Loiars also donned gator green, ending his first 18 at 10-over par.

All five golfers will return to the country club tomorrow morning for the final 18 holes of the championship, with individual and state trophies to be handed out at the conclusion of the day.