A four-stroke penalty couldn’t keep Crimson Cliffs’ Boston Bracken down as he won his second individual 4A title and led the Mustangs to a back-to-back 4A state championship.
The day started in a tight race between Crimson Cliffs and Orem, with the Mustangs narrowly leading Orem by three strokes after day one of the tournament.
Unfortunately, the weather did not improve from Day 1, and the tournament continued amid the cold, rain, and wind.
Despite the harsh weather, Crimson Cliffs found some separation and took a 13-stroke lead over Orem.
“I was really impressed, we don’t play in these conditions in Saint George very often, so to come up here and have it raining, windy, wet, and cold was a real challenge,” said Crimson Cliffs head coach Cody Felts. “The boys went out there and just kind of embraced the elements and played, they never wanted to quit or anything. I was really impressed with their determination to continue and play great in these conditions.”
However, as Bracken finished in the last group, he realized he had an extra club in his bag, causing a four-stroke penalty. Bracken still finished the day with a five-stroke lead over second place and earned his second individual state title in a row.
“Honestly, I thought it was a two-shot penalty for every hole,” said Bracken. “I had 15 clubs in the bag, cleaning up this morning in the hotel I put my 5 wood in the bag and did not take it out this morning. When we got to the 17th tee I realized ‘Shoot, I got 15 clubs in my bag.’”
“I was a little distraught, I thought it was a 32-shot penalty, luckily it was only four. I buried the last two holes, which I’m not sure how because mentally, I wasn’t there. But it was a good finish and I’m proud of the team.”
“It means a lot. I mean, taking that home back to school, I know to some golf is not as cool as football or baseball, but a championship is a championship. So, we’ll go home and celebrate it.”
Felts said Bracken has meant more to the Mustangs program than just being a good golfer.
“I don’t know how I could put into words what Boston’s done for our program,” said Felts. “The kind of kid that he is, the kind of golfer he is, the fact that he went out yesterday and shot seven under in some of the worst conditions that I’ve seen as I’ve been around in Junior Golf and hundreds of golf tournaments was so, so impressive. Then today for him to go out and play and shoot eight under, without the penalty, in these conditions with the pressure that he had was remarkable.”
“I think what is impressive about Boston is because he’s such an accomplished golfer expectations are really high. Everywhere he goes people expect him to win, he embraces that and the fact he plays to that is incredible. He lives up to it every single time, and I’m just so proud of him and his character for what happened today with the penalty and the 15 clubs.”
In the end, Crimson Cliffs ended the day with a 579, which was more than enough to take it over Orem who ended with a 595.
“It means a lot, in the sense that these kids worked very hard and it’s fun to see their hard work pay off,” said Felts. “There are more important things in life than winning championships, but the fact that they’re rewarded for their hard work and dedication is really rewarding as a coach.”
4A State Tournament
At The Ridge Golf Course (par 72)
Final team scores
1. Crimson Cliffs, 579
2. Orem, 595
3. Park City, 598
4. Desert Hills, 599
5. Timpanogos, 608
6. Sky View, 610
7. Dixie, 621
7. Snow Canyon, 621
Individual results (Top 20)
- 133 — Boston Bracken, Sr., Crimson Cliffs
- 138 — Noah Moody, Sr., Timpanogos
- 139 — Maddox Nielson, Jr., Orem
- 141 — Miles Cromwell, Soph., Sky View
- 143 — Lincoln Markham, Sr., Crimson Cliffs
- 144 — Forrest Summers, Jr., Park City
- 145 — Preston Cheney, Sr., Jordan
- 146 — Brock Porter, Jr., Desert Hills
- 146 — Carter Papke, Jr., Timpanogos
- 146 — Jack Griffith, Jr., Stansbury
- 147 — Matthew Robb, Jr., Cedar
- 148 — Logan Weidauer, Sr., Dixie
- 148 — Denver Douglas, Soph., Stansbury
- 149 — Noah Christensen, Sr., Desert Hills
- 149 — Ty Brady, Jr., Park City
- 149 — Rawson Hardy, Soph., Park City
- 150 — Tyler Jackman, Jr., Ridgeline
- 150 — Eastyn Ewell, Soph., Uintah
- 150 — Austin Westfall, Sr., Orem
- 151 — Dylan Winona, Soph., Crimson Cliffs