Harrison's Bradley wins state golf title
CARMEL – It took Cole Bradley two years to become the best high school golfer in the state.
One of Indiana's top tennis players as a freshman, Bradley gave up the sport as a sophomore at Harrison to focus on improving his golf game.
That determination paid off Wednesday afternoon amidst a torrential downpour when Bradley outlasted Columbia City's Spencer Klimek in a playoff to win the Indiana High School Athletic Association individual state championship.
"I wouldn't have imagined it would come this quickly. Just under two years of playing golf and I am already a state champion," Bradley said. "Hopefully I can win a few more."
Bradley claimed the first state championship in Harrison golf history with a par putt on the second hole at Prairie View Golf Club, leading the Raiders to an 11th-place finish in the team standings.
Westfield won the state title with a two-day total of 584, besting runner-up Center Grove (588) and third-place Zionsville (603). Harrison finished with a 627.
After both recorded a par on the first hole, Bradley's second shot on No. 2 during the sudden-death playoff landed in the bunker. He placed his third shot within inches of the cup and put pressure on Klimek, who two-putted and set up Bradley for a tap in and medalist honors.
His championship moment came after Bradley was 3-under through 15 holes and leading Klimek and Fort Wayne Dwenger's Elzey Callahan by two strokes.
Bradley carded bogeys on holes 7 and 8 and finished tied with Klimek at 1-under 143 for the tournament, but never lost focus.
"For such a young player and being new to the game, he has the composure of a veteran," said junior Jack Newton. "That is what skyrocketed him so much is his composure."
Newton's 76 on Wednesday was 10 strokes better than he performed in Tuesday's opening round. Overall, the Raiders shaved 15 strokes off from the first round to the second.
Newton, Grant Brettnacher and Tanner Skiles will be seniors next season and Bradley and Neil Hart will be juniors as the Raiders return the entire lineup for a team that climbed as high as eighth during Wednesday's final round.
"(It was) the first time at state for our players and we didn't know what to expect," Newton said. "We went into the first tee all nervous and jittery. Getting out of the first round, that was fine. The second round we played our game how we knew we could."
Especially Bradley, who maintained consistency after shooting a 1-under 71 on Tuesday.
Bradley is just the third Tippecanoe County golfer to win individual medalist honors, joining Lafayette Jeff's Jim Risk (1958) and Mike Chadwick (1977). Crawfordsville's Stan Hultz (1964) and Frankfort's Larry Gosewehr (1978) are the only other champions from the Greater Lafayette Area.
The sport came naturally to Bradley, who despite rarely picking up a club before high school already had a golfing pedigree.
Bradley's father is Purdue men's golf coach Rob Bradley, formerly an assistant for Alabama's NCAA championship team in 2013 and a four-year starter at the University of North Carolina before embarking on a pro career.
As a freshman, Bradley quickly grasped the sport and scored in the 90s per 18 holes, showing his talent for someone swinging the clubs for the first time.
As a sophomore, he managed to cut nearly 17 strokes off that average.
And became a state champion.
"He, at this point in time, is the top high school golfer in Indiana," Harrison coach Dave Schneider said. "To say that, with everybody that plays, is a fantastic accolade."