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WHEELING - Parkersburg senior Jack Louden kept himself in all-tournament consideration, but perhaps a contender during the first day of the WVSSAC High School State Golf Tournament on Monday at Oglebay Golf Course
Louden, who qualified as an individual for the second straight year, turned in a round of 6-over par 77 and sits alone in fifth place on the Class AAAA leaderboard with one round remaining on Tuesday.
"I was striking the ball really well," Louden said. "Once I got to the last nine of my round I started to lose my irons, but I chipped really well and putted really well.
"I made a decent amount of chips in the right spots. I hit a lot of fairways, too. I didn't lose a single ball today and did not hit into a single penalty area today."
Washington's Tommy Evans was the lone Class AAAA golfer to finish in red numbers after firing a 1-under 70. Hurricane, which owns an eight-stroke lead in the team standings with a 231, had two golfers land in the top four with Bentley Shirkey at 73 and Parker O'Dell matching 75s with Morgantown's Chase Grigsby.
Also seeking to secure an all-tournament finish are four golfers tied for sixth place at 79.
During one stretch, Louden made seven consecutive pars. He started his round with a 4-over 39 on the back nine then scored a 2-over 38 on the front nine to conclude his round.
"My game was pretty much nice and smooth every time," I made sure to pick the right spot. I didn't rush through my shot and took my time. I've played this course many times - it's definitely tough but I've had some good rounds here.
"Last year at state definitely stunk. I did not play as good as I could have. On the first day, I made a lot of mistakes. On the second day, I didn't have much go my way. Today has already been better and hopefully I can keep it going (Tuesday). I hope to end my senior year in high school on a high note."
While Louden was the lone PHS representative, Parkersburg South competed as a team for the second year in a row. Unfortunately, the results were not kind for the Patriots, who finished eighth in a field of eight after combining for a 267.
The Patriots' No. 3 golfer, sophomore Cooper Welch turned in the low score for the team with an 84. Also competing for South were Jackson Ruble (89), Easton Wolfe (94) and Cooper Sams (103)