Greensburg golfer wins individual state title

    Greensburg's Andrew Seiler knew the spotlight was on his team and the other Rangers sports teams after the tornado devastated his town in May 2007.
    Seiler was very thankful for the contributions and the coverage received from those wanting to help the team. It also put a lot of pressure on him and the Rangers golfers, including a ninth-place finish in last year's state tournament at Hesston Golf Course.
    Under a lot less fanfare a year later, Seiler went out and shot 73 Monday to win the Class 1A individual boys state golf championship at the Dodge City Country Club by six strokes.
    “I was really relaxed,” Seiler said. “I wasn't thinking about anything in particular. I knew I could do it, (but) I was surprised I won by that many.”
    Seiler said his short game made the difference in winning the championship.
    “On this course, it doesn't matter how far you drive it,” he said. “If you have a short game, you're going to do well.”
    Quivira Heights repeated as the Class 1A team state champion and didn't have to go to a fifth-player tiebreaker score to win.
    The Thunderbirds shot 343 as a team to win by nine strokes over Goessel. The Bluebirds had beaten Heights last week in the regional last week in windy conditions at Kinsley Country Club, but the T-Birds came back to lower their score by 40 shots between the regional and state meets.
    “There is more pressure as a state champ than as an underdog,” said Quivira Heights head coach Ron Stump. “(The loss at regionals), if anything, made them work harder because they played so lousy in the regional. It made them want to play better.”
    Gunner Phelan led the T-Birds with an 82 for a sixth-place finish in the individual standings.
    Greensburg — which won the Southern Plains-Iroquois Activities Association and regional titles — improved six places from last year, finishing third at 359.
    “There was a lot less pressure, it seemed like,” Seiler said. “I think the whole team felt that way.”
    Leavenworth Immaculata finished fourth at 367, followed by Quinter (371) and Greeley County (372). Hoxie and Lost Springs-Centre tied for seventh (374), ahead of Ness City (402), Hartford (410), South Central (411) and Claflin (413).
    Ness City's Jared Stoecklein beat Trenton Stateman of Hutchinson Central Christian in a playoff after both shot 79 on the course. Tommy Smith of Hartford was fourth at 80, and Weston Koehn was fifth with an 81.