High school golf: Greater Cincinnati boys, girls golfers to watch in 2023
Last year, Greater Cincinnati athletes had remarkable success in postseason runs and that included the golf season, which saw Kylee Heidemann win an individual title while Seven Hills took a team title.
Here, listed in alphabetical order, are golfers to watch across the area for the 2023 season.
More: Southwest Ohio field hockey players to watch, storylines heading into 2023 season
Girls
Eva Becerril, Sycamore
In just her freshman campaign last year, Becerril was the Greater Miami Conference Athlete of the Year and then shot a two-day 158 at the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division I state tournament to finish tied for 20th overall while her Sycamore team finished in seventh.
Faith Brumfield, Ursuline Academy
Brumfield’s 38.20 average is the lowest for a returning player in the Girls Greater Catholic League. As a junior last season, Brumfield shot a 70 to finish as sectional runner-up, trailing only the eventual state champion, Kylee Heidemann.
Taylor Dunkle, Springboro
As a sophomore in 2022, Dunkle had a top-five average in the Greater Western Ohio Conference. In the postseason, Dunkle finished in fourth place at the Hamilton Elks sectional with an 82 before shaving off 11 strokes to finish atop the leaderboard in the Division I district tournament.
Riley Johnson, Lebanon
Johnson returns for her senior season as a two-time defending Eastern Cincinnati Conference Golfer of the Year.
Eva Maley, Cooper
Maley was one of three Cooper golfers to finish in the top three of the Region 7 tournament that the Jaguars won by 43 strokes. Maley was the regional runner-up, shooting a 71 before finishing with a 168 and tying for 33rd in the KHSAA finals.
Reagan Ramage, Cooper
Ramage won her third-consecutive regional championship before shooting a six-over-par 150 at the KHSAA state tournament, good for a fifth-place tie in the state.
Sophie Rush, Fenwick
Rush was a sophomore last year while having Greater Catholic League-Coed's low average to finish as the conference’s Player of the Year. In the OHSAA postseason, Rush shot an 83 to finish tied for first in the Division II sectional before shooting a 79 to finish in a three-way tie at the district meet.
Caroline Thompson, Sycamore
Over 207 holes, Thompson had an average round of 37.50, second in the GMC behind teammate Becerril's 37.30. Thompson tied for third overall in the Walden Ponds sectional with a 75 before shooting a 72 at districts, finishing tied for individual runner-up while helping Sycamore qualify for the state meet.
Clare Yeazell, Lakota East
Yeazell secured first-team All-GMC honors before shooting a 71 at sectionals, finishing as medalist in the Walden Ponds course. Yeazell also finished tied for fifth at districts, qualifying for state as an individual where she had a 153 to tie for 12th.
Boys
Gavin Augenstein, Springboro
While teammate Jack Rott finished two strokes ahead of Augenstein in the GWOC tournament to be conference Player of the Year, Augenstein’s 36.10 average after 243 holes was the lowest during the season. Augenstein then began his OHSAA postseason by finishing first overall at the Yankee Trace sectional.
Finley Bartlett, Wyoming
Bartlett had a dynamite sophomore campaign in 2022, finishing as the Cincinnati Hills League Athlete of the Year. After finishing as runner-up in the sectional tournament and in a three-way tie for medalist at districts, Bartlett shot a 154 to finish No. 4 in the Division II OHSAA state tournament.
Charlie Fish, St. Xavier
Fish enters his senior campaign as a first-team All-GCL-South honoree. In the sectional tournament, Fish’s 72 made him the medalist. At districts, Fish had a 10th-place tie. He shot a 155 at the Division I state meet to finish tied for 11th with teammate Rober Gerwin.
Robert Gerwin, St. Xavier
A first-team All-GCL-South honoree, Gerwin finished with a 77 to tie for seventh in the sectional tournament. At districts, Gerwin again finished tied for seventh and shot a 155 at the Division I state meet to tie for 11th with teammate Fish.
Alex Holzapfel, Indian Hill
Holzapfel enters his senior season with the second-best returning average in the CHL as well as a sectional title from the Division II meet at The Mill Course.
Cayse Morgan, Elder
Before finishing in a 10th-place tie in the Division I district tournament, Morgan was crowned the Golfer of the Year in the GCL South.
Charlie Mullin, Seven Hills
Mullin’s junior season was capped off with a team state championship for Seven Hills in the OHSAA Division III tournament while Mullin finished in third overall. Mullin was also the medalist in both his sectional and district tournaments.
Hank Shick, Highlands
As a sophomore last season, Shick shot a 72 to take the Region 8 individual championship while his Highlands team also finished first to qualify for the KHSAA state tournament.
Jake Wittenauer, Little Miami
A Wright State golf commit, Wittenauer was the ECC Golfer of the Year in 2022. After finishing tied for second in the Division I district tournament, Wittenauer shot 156 in the state meet to finish in a 16th-place tie.
Zac Vickers, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy
In the same conference as the Seven Hills golfers who won a team state title, Vickers from CHCA secured Miami Valley Conference Golfer of the Year honors after winning the conference tournament with a 146. On the season, he averaged 39.70 on 72 holes.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Boys, girls golfers to watch in Greater Cincinnati for 2023
