Canfield’s Timko shoots 75 as state golf runner-up

Vindicator staff report

COLUMBUS — Bruce “Boo” Timko would have preferred a 36-hole tournament, but only got 18.

But he’s not making excuses.

“I wish we could have played at least 36 because a lot could happen,” the 17-year-old Canfield junior said of the cancellation of Friday’s round at the state Div. I boys golf championship.

“With 18, someone could get hot here and there. With 36, you’ve got to play consistent to do well. Since 18 was the hand dealt us, you do what you have to do.”

Timko and three other high school golfers had 75 to finish runnerup behind Korey Ward of West Chester Lakota West at the Ohio State Golf Club’s Scarlet course.

“They don’t do any kind of scorecard playoffs,” Canfield coach Michael Murphy said of the four co-runnersup.

In carding 74, Ward repeated as state champion.

Timko, like Ward, was playing as an individual, along with 73 other golfers.

Columbus St. Charles was team champion with 309, followed by Cincinnati St. Xavier with 315. Xavier was defending champion,

This was Timko’s first year at Canfield after playing at Warren JFK as a freshman and sophomore.

“I was super-proud of him in that kind of tournament and that kind of weather,” said Murphy. “State is the toughest course those kids will play,” Murphy said of the course set-up. “The pins are unreal, some tucked behind bunkers and in the most difficult places you can image. It’s demanding golf, but they want to see who the best players in Ohio are.”

The conditions weren’t favorable either, with 20 to 25 mph. winds gusting to 30 mph., Murphy said. The temperature also dropped into the 40s during the round.

Timko, Ward and Chris Nader of Westlake played in a threesome and had a one-stroke lead after carding even-par 36 on the front 9.

Timko’s front side comprised one birdie, one bogey and seven pars. Ward shot 37.

The two were even after 12 holes, then Ward went ahead for good on No. 13.

“I never got it back even,” said Timko. They both bogeyed 14, then Timko fell behind by two strokes before pulling back within one on 17.

“I parred and he bogeyed and I got it back to just one up,” Timko said of the outcome on No. 17. “We both kind of struggled on the backside, but I think a lot of scores were lopsided from the front to back and vise-versa because the wind picked up,” Timko said.

On the 170-yard No. 13, a par 3, both Timko and Ward reached the green, but Timko said he didn’t get the position he wanted.

“It’s downhill and the pin was tucked to the back left of a bunker,” said Timko, who was planted on the back of the green. “There was kind of a shelf where the pin was. I didn’t quite get it up there. I should have left it easier than I did,” he said of his first shot onto the green that put him a a tough situation.

Ward two-putted and Timko three-putted.

With JFK in Div. III at Foxfire last year, Timko finished 8th overall.

He played OSU’s Scarlet course twice before: once as a freshman year at JFK in the state tournament and again this summer in a junior event.

Timko said he’ll bypass basketball this winter and make a few college visits. He plans to work on his swing at the Golf Dome and elsewhere.

“Then I’ll try to work out to get stronger for next year.”

Murphy made a comparison with 235 schools that start the golf season.

“To finish [tied for] second among the top 12 teams or top 12 individuals is quite an accomplishment. For Boo to shoot 75 on one of the top college courses in the country says a lot about how good he is.”