Legacy’s Steve Ziegler appears unflappable on the golf course.
Like a duck on water, however, there is plenty of frantic paddling below the surface.
Aside from a double bogey on the 13th hole, Ziegler played solidly Tuesday at Pinehurst Country Club on the final day of the Class 5A boys state golf tournament.
Still, the defending champion felt the pressure as he walked to No. 17 with a narrow lead.
“The first (title) felt so much easier. I didn’t think my entire high school career would hinge on my tee shot on 17,” Ziegler said.
With a small pack of golfers led by Coronado’s Kevin Chan keeping the heat on, Ziegler tapped into the experience only a four-year state veteran can possess and shot par on his final two holes.
A fist pump and tip of the hat to the overflowing gallery capped Ziegler’s score of even-par 70, completing his two-day total of 141. The last putt ushered in Ziegler as the eighth two-time state champion since 1947. Including state and regionals, he won the last five high school tournaments he entered.
“I can’t express it in words, but this means a lot to me. … This wraps up and satisfies my whole high school career,” said Ziegler, who will play for Stanford.
Ziegler held off Chan and Derek Fribbs of Douglas County by three strokes. Chaparral’s Branden Barron improved his first-day score by nine strokes to finish fourth.
But it was Chan who put a bit of fear into Ziegler.
After Ziegler’s double bogey dropped him to even-par for the day, Chan sank a 25-foot eagle putt on No. 16 to move within a stroke of the leader.
But on the next hole, a par 3, Chan’s drive caught a tree branch and dropped to the side of the women’s tee box. He finished the hole with a bogey.
“I wasn’t even thinking about the tree. I hit that ball pure, but I let the pressure get to me after that eagle. I couldn’t keep it together,” Chan said.
The psychological side of the game took hold of many of the competitors, including some of the first-day leaders.
Even Fribbs, who shaved off two strokes on the second day, said he needs to work on his head more than his short game.
“On the back nine, I couldn’t make a putt and couldn’t hit a fairway. It was all mental,” said Fribbs, a sophomore.
Equally as compelling was ThunderRidge pulling off its sixth straight 5A team title. Despite playing with three golfers instead of the usual four, Josh Hardman shot a second-day 70 to help the Grizzlies edge Chaparral by a stroke.
