RUSTON, La. — The Ruston High School boys golf team earned a trip to the regional tournament in dramatic fashion Tuesday, defeating Airline in a sudden-death playoff after the teams finished tied at the District 1-5A tournament at Querbes Golf Course in Shreveport.
Ruston secured one of four regional qualifying spots after matching Airline at 22-over-par through the top four scorers. The Bearcats then prevailed on the third playoff hole to claim advancement, thanks to senior Drew Bowling’s heroics in extra-play.
Bowling led the Bearcat scorers with a +4 on the day (75) to tie 11th individually, followed by Jackson Murray, Miles Bennett and Charlie Rogers, who all shot +6 (77) to tie for 17th. Ruston’s +22 scoring total was good enough to tie Airline for fourth overall, as Byrd finished at the top with a +12 as a team.
The district field included Byrd, West Monroe, Alexandria Senior High, Airline, Neville, Benton, Natchitoches Central, Captain Shreve, Northwood, Pineville, Haughton and Parkway.
Coach Kyle Thorne said Ruston overcame a difficult start and changing weather conditions to stay in contention.
“We started off kind of rough,” Thorne said. “A couple guys had some early bogies and some early double bogies, but later on we started hitting our stride.”
Rain during the round also created challenges with ball flight and green speeds, but Ruston remained in the hunt until scores were finalized.
Tournament results initially appeared to leave Ruston outside the top five before a scoring correction changed the standings. After a scorecard entry was corrected, Ruston was moved into a tie with Airline, sending the teams to a playoff and set up a marquee matchup between Ruston’s Bowling and Airline standout Hudson Greene, who had fired a tournament-best 62 on the par-71 course.
The first two playoff holes were halved with pars as both golfers traded steady play under pressure.
On the third extra hole, both players missed the green and were forced to chip close. Bowling left himself a lengthy putt and rolled in a 20-footer for par, placing the pressure squarely on Greene. Greene narrowly missed his attempt, giving Ruston the victory and a berth in regionals.
Thorne praised Bowling’s poise in the deciding moments.
“I’m extremely proud of our guys,” Thorne said. “They’ve worked hard all year. They’ve bought into our practices and making sure we’re doing the details right, working on things we can work on. I’m extremely proud of our guys and through our grit and Drew Bowling for being a clutch performer there at the end for us. Overall, these guys earned it.”
Ruston will compete in the regional tournament Monday, April 27, at Links on the Bayou in Alexandria.
