DAYTON – Arcanum golfer Luke Stephens capped a great junior year in boys golf with a thrilling finish at the OHSAA Boys DII State Golf Tournament held at the famed NCR Country Club South which ranks 68th on Golfweek’s Top 100 Classic list of courses to play.
Arcanum’s golf team had a great season finishing in a tie with National Trail for a WOAC League championship and Luke Stephens shared the Conference Player of the Year award with National Trail’s Kellen Laird.
In post season the Arcanum boys golf team played in the OHSAA DII Golf Sectional in Springfield at Windy Knoll, but the team did not advance, however, Luke Stephens would qualify as an individual to the district tournament.
The District Tournament took place at Pipe Stone Golf Course in Miamisburg, Ohio and after 9-holes Stephens appeared to be in great shape shooting even par 36, then a 39 on the back nine for a solid 75, just three over par.
It was a good finish for Luke, but he couldn’t help but think about his team having to play for the first time without them this season.
“It’s nice having my team out there playing and playing with them, so it was a little more difficult without them because it’s more fun with them. We made a lot of good memories together this season,” Stephens shared.
While Stephens will still have those memories with his team … he would make some special individual memories few ever get to experience.
He ended district play in a tie with Jacob Lewis of Indian Hill who got hot on the back nine firing a 35, and a 75 for 18 to force a playoff with Stephens for the final individual qualifying spot to move on to state.
The two went back to the 1st tee a 353-yard par 4 to settle it. Stephens reached the green in regulation and lagged a putt close to the hole. His opponent needed to make a good putt for par and came up short, and all Stephens needed to do was tap in his par to go to state.
“I just went out and had fun and tried to play relaxed. Towards the end I knew it would be close, so I did feel some pressure, I had a little bit of nerves in that playoff especially the tap in putt and was so relieved once it went in,” Stephens stated.
After he made the putt his mom (Mary) and dad (John) who were on-hand, hugged – embracing the moment, obviously proud of their son. John also happens to be the Superintendent at Arcanum Butler Schools.
“The support from my parents means the world to me, they’ve supported me for my entire life and play a huge part of where I am today,” Luke said.
Luke became the 4th boys golfer in school history to reach a state tournament in golf.
Matt Haupt made it in 1994. Andrew Bryant, who is currently a teacher at Arcanum and two-time WOAC girls’ golf “Coach of the Year” for Arcanum, made it in 1998 and Mitchell Brown qualified in 2010. Brown was coached at that time by current boys golf coach Kip Gray who was also this years WOAC boys “Coach of the Year” as well.
Luke would get the opportunity to tee it up at the NCR Country Club unaware that he was about do something special that most golfers can only dream about.
“Going in my mindset was to have fun and enjoy the experience because it doesn’t come too often,” Luke said.
Luke started his state championship 1st round play on hole #10 with a par, then had back-to-back bogies on 11,12 a par on 13, and another bogey on 14.
After five holes he was three over, but things were about to change on hole 15, a 197-yard par 3 that slopes right to left with a bunker on the right and fescue on the left.
Arcanum boys golf coach Kip Gray advised Luke on how to play the hole by hitting the ball to the front right green and the ball would funnel left and down to the back pin placement.
Luke would take a 6-iron and executed exactly as instructed and true to form the ball rolled down the hill to the back and into the cup for a hole in one.
“When I hit it I actually didn’t think it was going to be good, it felt like it was a little thin. I saw it land on the front right side of the green and since it funnels right to left I thought there could be a chance it could get close … but I didn’t get to see it go in,” Stephens said.
“I turned away and then heard yelling, and the crowd went crazy so that’s how I found out I made it,” Luke said.
“I still can’t believe I made a hole in one! It was crazy to me because I never expected it. It didn’t feel real at the moment.”
Luke’s parents were at the green and his mom (Mary) described the moment.
“We were with fans from our group and even the group ahead of ours all cheered so loud when it dropped. The coaches from other schools were hugging him and the other players were giving him high fives. They showed great respect for the game and sportsmanship and then they waited to let him go retrieve his ball before stepping on the green,” Mary said.
A hole-in-one on the biggest stage in high school prep sports in a state championship tournament is something one can only dream about, and Lukes reaction was one of almost disbelief.
“I honestly didn’t know how to react after I made it. I had never made a hole in one before, I guess that’s the best time to do it, what a great moment and it is by far my best memory on a golf course,” Stephens summed up.
The NCR Country Club was gracious enough to present Stephens the 15th hole flag as a keepsake to honor his achievement after the match concluded.
In all that excitement it would be understandable that it might take a while to come down from the moment. Luke gave back two strokes the next hole then rebounded with a birdie on hole #17. He finished hole 18 with a par and after nine holes he was on top of the leaderboard at +2 with a 37.
Luke would turn in his card after the full round shooting 77 and was tied for 4th place overall with the second round to play on Tuesday October 9th.
No doubt the first round was a lot of fun … but one would have to question how much fun round two would be as the conditions drastically changed from Monday. They weren’t suitable for even the staunchest golfing die-hards with monsoon type down pours and poor visibility.
“I felt a little pressure going into the second round because I knew if I had a good round I would be competing for one of the top spots,” Luke said going into the 2nd round.
He wasn’t counting on fighting the elements along with nerves and after 7 holes he was 7 over but those conditions affected everyone’s play and Luke still was in the hunt.
But eventually the second round was cancelled as the course deteriorated beyond playable conditions and none of the play from that day counted in the final standings.
“I was expecting some rain … but I definitely wasn’t expecting that much. Those conditions made it super tough to score low. I tried my best to enjoy it as it was my last day of the season and boy was I was relieved once they called it,” Stephens cited.
Due to the cancellation, they reverted back to Monday’s scores to determine the final standings for the OHSAA DII Boys Golf State Championship.
Based on that Luke finished in 4th place. It would be the highest placement for any boys golfer in school history, and he earned First Team All-State honors.
“This was just a great experience, NCR was by far the best course I’ve played, and I’ve never played anything like it,” Stephens shared.
Although Luke put in the work and his time he was complimentary to a number of people who helped him along the way.
“I’d like to thank coach (Kip) Gray, Coach Mac, my teammates and everyone who has supported me this season. I would also like to thank Mr. Cates and Coach Moore for their support as well. Also, I would like to shout out Coach Macy and Coach Zell for keeping me healthy through some back issues I had this season. They have helped a lot,” Stephens stated.
“I’m so thankful for this opportunity and I couldn’t have done it without everyone here supporting me and helping me along the way. The community’s support has been really special to me,” Luke admonished.
Luke also thanked his parents who were with him every step of the way and they talked about what it meant to them as well.
“We were just flooded with emotions … joy and excitement and honestly a bit of relief knowing he had done it,” John Stephens said speaking for him and Mary.
“We have seen him work extremely hard to get to that point. The amount of time he’s spent swinging a club on the course and in our barn was paying off. He’s a fully committed kid and does all the right things. He pays attention to diet, sleep, and training. He still is learning about the need to include rest. We were thankful he was able to play through some back issues. Summer was all baseball and golf usually 7 days a week between the two. It put stress on the back that caught up with him. Two days before conference Coach Gray had to pull him from a match. He sat out another and had some physical therapy. It’s been a combination of rest, therapy, managing swings, and prayers to make it through. We are thankful for the amount of support Luke has received throughout the last few weeks.”
“There’s a lot of joy seeing your kid’s hard work and love for something pay off. The kid is known for showing little emotion, but the smile says it all. He doesn’t get too high or too low and he knows how to grind it out and we are super proud of his resilience,” John exclaimed.
“The experience has only strengthened Luke’s resolve knowing his commitment, drive and work ethic paid dividends,” John expressed.
It was a whirlwind couple of weeks for Luke Stephens, culminating in WOAC “Golfer of the Year”, a district playoff hole winner, qualifying for state, a hole in one at state, 4th place at the DII State Championship and first team All-State Honors.
Luke Stephens 4th place state finish earned him 1st team all-state honors in DII Golf. (Abbey Moore photo)
“This experience just motivates me more because I know now what I need to work on to improve my game this off season. Once I can fix those things I believe I will come back even stronger,” Stephens concluded.
As Luke tucked the 15th hole flag from NCR Country Club into his golf bag, he carried more than just a keepsake home with him. He carried a moment that defied belief – a hole-in-one on the biggest stage in Ohio high school golf, witnessed by competitors who cheered as loudly as his own parents. Some dreams are so big you never dare to dream them. Luke Stephens lived one anyway.”
It’s hard to imagine it could get any better, dare to dream … maybe a state championship.
