After back-to-back-to-back bogeys in the middle of his round on Tuesday at the Centennial League golf tournament in Topeka, Emporia High senior Bren Fisher wondered if his shot at the title was finished.
“I started thinking, ‘Uh oh, what’s going on? I might be losing it,’” Fisher said.
That’s when he took a step away from everything to collect himself and try to salvage what had been a solid round up to that forgettable three-hole stretch.
Fisher took a deep breath to calm himself down, then went back out onto the course.
Not long after, on his 10th hole of the day, Fisher came back with a birdie. On his 11th hole, again, he made birdie.
And just like that, Fisher averted disaster. Well enough, in fact, that he went on to win the individual title with a score of 73, winning the first hole of a playoff with Washburn Rural’s John Pecis to earn the top medalist honors.
“After that bogey stretch, I turned it back around and finished out strong,” Fisher said. “I played a really solid round.”
Fisher’s day was not enough, however, to lead the Spartans to their second straight Centennial League crown, as EHS finished in fourth place one year after taking the title. Washburn Rural won the team championship with a score of 305, while the Spartans carded a 321.
“It was kind of disappointing to not win the title again,” Fisher said. “We really wanted to get that back. But, we know what we have to work on for Regionals and hopefully State, and we’ll work on all that stuff in practice to get ready.”
Fletcher Harder carded the next-lowest round for Emporia, as he finished with a 77 to fall into a three-way tie for sixth, and he finished second on a scorecard playoff to place seventh.
Eric Reimer finished his day with an 84 to place 29th and Matt McAnarney carded an 87 to finish in 33rd place.
Zach Young (92) and Spencer Anderson (93) rounded out the Emporia field of entrants.
Centennial League
Golf Championships
Team Scores
1. Washburn Rural 305, 2. Manhattan 308, 3. Hayden 313, 4. Emporia 321, 5. Shawnee Heights 322, 6. Seaman 323, 7. Topeka West 355, 8. Topeka High 411, 9. Junction City 433.
EHS Individual Finishes
1. Bren Fisher 73, 7. Fletcher Harder 77, 29. Eric Reimer 84, 33. Matt McAnarney 87, 37. Zach Young 92, 39. Spencer Anderson 93.