Lane blocked
- Updated: July 31, 2014
White Plains junior takes 13 on hole he aced; Travis makes cut
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
Trevor Lane learned the hard way just how cruel the game of golf can be to the people who love it most.
Lane returned to No. 2 at Gadsden Country Club he aced the day before Wednesday in the State Junior Championship and this time the one-shotter exacted its revenge.
The incoming White Plains junior made a 13 on the hole and shot 86 in the round. So, he had the distinction of posting lowest score on the hole – and the highest.
“That’s my record there,” he said.
Meanwhile, White Plains teammate Dustin Travis bounced back from an opening-round 78 with a 73 to make the cut at 151.
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He was the only county player to advance. Layton Bussey shot 83 to tie Lane at 168. Oxford’s Noah Huckeba shot 84 for 163. And Donoho’s Jacob Lecroy, playing in the 14-15 division, shot 87 for 169.
Incoming Alabama freshman Steven Setterstrom of Mobile leads the tournament by one over Alex Green of Point Clear after shooting a 7-under 64 for a two-day total 136.
Lane was 1-under through six holes and 3-over for the day when he came to the hole he conquered the day before. What happened next wasn’t pretty.
He hit five balls out of bounds – the last two dreaded shanks. He changed clubs. He finally held the green with an 8-iron on his 11th stroke and two-putted from eight feet.
His ace came off a solid 6-iron to the back of the green and everyone applauded wildly when it disappeared into the hole. They were looking for someplace to hide after Lane’s first two balls on the hole Wednesday skittered out of bounds.
“I was really trying to make myself not think about that (ace),” he said. “There’s no way in heck you’re getting another hole-in-one so forget about it, try to make birdie and go on. I thought I hit a great (first) shot, (but) you don’t hit the green and it’s OB pretty much.”
The highest score he recalls ever taking on a hole before was a 9.
After the disaster he played his final seven holes in 2-over.
“I’m not going to sit here and sulk over it, because it’s already happened,” he said.
Travis put in a little extra practice after his round Tuesday and it paid off. He cut his opening-round score by five shots largely by hitting more fairways.
He turned in even par, double bogeyed No. 11 after hitting his second shot out of bounds, then got back to even with birdies on 12 and 15. He finished with a sloppy double bogey, but still made the cut with two shots to spare.
“The main thing is I hit 12 or 13 fairways today and yesterday I hit maybe two,” Travis said. “When I got done (Tuesday) I came home and got on the range and got my swing back on plane.
“It feels pretty good to make the cut. … This is a really big tournament for me, so making the cut and being able to play on Thursday kind of boosts the confidence a little bit as far as ending the summer decently. I’m not going home with my head down.”
Al Muskewitz is Content Editor/Senior Writer of East Alabama Sports Today. He can be reached at musky@wrightmediacorp.com and followed on Twitter @easportstoday1.
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