HUNTSVILLE – All season, Luke Wilson has had his name near the top of the leaderboard in Alabama High School golf competition.
That didn't change on Tuesday. The Cullman senior played competitive and was in contention for the 6A title in the AHSAA state tournament.
Wilson wound up with a third place tie, shooting 1-under par for the two-day event, a score of 143.
The talented Wilson just missed claiming the state championship trophy by one stroke. Matt Lorenz of Gulf Shores opened with a 69 Monday, but struggled with a 1-over 73 on Tuesday.
Lorenz got tied by Charles Wood of Spanish Fort who fired a final round 70 to recover from a three-stroke deficit and end the two-day, 36-hole tournament with a 142.
The pair earned co-championship honors in a field where the top seven golfers in this classification were separated by three strokes. Six of the seven shot between 2-under and even par with the last 1-over par.
Wilson and Christopher Owens of Northview were next with a 143. Owens shook off a first round 73 and came back Tuesday with a 2-under par 70. Owens and Wood had the lowest round on Tuesday at 2-under 70.
Wilson was even par Tuesday with a 72 after having a 1-under 71 to start his quest for success.
But Lorenz was able to shoot 3-under and have the best score on Monday for the 6A division. He was the only golfer to fire a 69, but knew he had plenty of people to challenge him when the final round resumed Tuesday at 9:42 a.m.
Lorenz slipped to a 73 that enabled Wilson, Owens and Padraic Sim of Spanish Fort to stay on his heels.
Wilson kept his score around even par, unable to raise it lower and move to the top of the 6A leaderboard.
Sim dropped from second to a tie for fifth with Jack Goldasich of Homewood. Both carded a two-day 144, even par. John Snoddy from Homewood followed his teammate Goldasich and Sim with a 145, 1-over par.
Wilson was playing solid golf entering the last segment of the AHSAA postseason. He shot a 3-under par 69 last Monday at a wet Terri Pines Country Club to win the sub-state and punch his ticket to Huntsville.
That was the best score in the sub-state that was interrupted by a thunderstorm in the afternoon and was drenched from heavy rain the day before.
Wilson leaves the prep game with a successful career for the Bearcats. Now he will focus his skills on playing for the Wallace State Lions, who have won 13 Alabama Community College Conference championships all-time, including the last three years.
The Lions recently won the NJCAA District 4 championship at Terri Pines to get them qualified for the nationals this weekend in Melbourne, Florida.
Wilson follows the footsteps of another Cullman golfer, Sylas Elliott, who is in his sophomore season at Wallace. Elliott is a semifinalist for the NJCAA Jack Nicklaus Award to be announced Wednesday.
