Four years ago, Andy Steed still had hopes of being a great baseball player.
Then the reality sunk in that he could be a great golfer.
The bat and big ball were put aside. The club and small ball have close companions to the Clinton-Massie junior ever since.
“I played baseball from 5 years old until three years ago,” said Steed, who is the three-time SBAAC boys golfer of the year. “Swing change from trying to deal with golf and baseball just really didn’t work.”
On Friday, Steed will put an exclamation point on that change when he becomes the first Clinton-Massie High School boys golfer to participate in the OHSAA Division II Boys Golf Championship.
Steed and his fellow competitors will ascend on NorthStar Golf Club in Sunbury for a practice round Thursday morning then hit it for real Friday in the first of two 18-hole rounds. The tournament is scheduled to be a stroke play event over 36 holes.
Steed will begin his practice round 10:40 a.m. Thursday then comes back 10:40 a.m. Friday to begin play in the state tournament when he will be paired with Trey Baker of Millersburg West Holmes and Charlie Lewis of Chillicothe Unioto in the opening round.
Steed qualified to the state tournament by finishing as the second overall individual not on a qualifying team during play at the Division II Southwest District Boys Golf Championship last week at Heatherwoode Golf Club in Springboro.
His qualification to the state this season comes one year after missing state by one stroke.
“The day after that district tournament happened my sophomore year I told myself this is going to be motivation for what I’m going to do from now to the next (2023) district,” Steed said during an interview in a classroom at Clinton-Massie. “I worked from winter all the way to the end of my summer league. I knew I had a legit chance.”
During the summer league, the Southern Ohio PGA Junior Tour, Steed was the runaway player of the year. He finished his high school season strong as well then earned medalist honors at the Division II PipeStone Sectional tournament with a 2-under par 70. He then followed that with a 3-under par 68 at the Heatherwoode district tournament to finish as runnerup medalist by one stroke.
“I knew from last year, missing it by one (stroke), that I had the skill (to do it),” he said. “Shooting 2-under at PipeStone (this year) I knew I was going to be able to pull it together.”
In the district tournament, Steed was even par through 14 holes then birdied three of the last four to confirm his place in CM history.
“It was the perfect way to end the round,” said Steed, who pumped his fists as he approached the 18th green and saw the elation from family and friends.
“I saw my team and they all were like cheering … I knew I was going to make it,” he said. “Big sigh of relief and the stress that came out.”
So now Steed heads north to a course he’s never played. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t know NorthStar.
“I want to know what the holes are like. I don’t want to go to a course and say ‘Oh, okay, what am I going to do here?’,” he said. “I have looked at YouTube videos on how the (NorthStar) course goes. I’ve used apps on how to do it.”
Regardless of the course, though, Steed admits he has his own formula of how to play golf and will use that to attack NorthStar. He’ll also use those who have supported and cheered him on over the years as inspiration. But in the end, he wants to enjoy the ride.
“I like to play my game,” he said. “Preparation can help you but the day you get there, it can be different than it was prepping two weeks before.
“I am just here to represent Clinton-Massie and Clarksville and my community. As first-ever (CM boy) to go to state, I don’t want to have my hopes super high and ruin the moment. I’m going to play the best I can. Even if I am 10 over or 2 under I want to make sure I go out there and have fun.”
Reach Mark Huber at 937-556-5765, via email [email protected] or at twitter.com @wnjsports
