EAST LANSING — Okemos senior Ian Masih kept pushing hard as he entered the final stretch of holes in the Michigan high school Division 1 boys golf championship at Forest Akers West Golf Course on Michigan State’s campus.
Masih knew he was near the top of the leader board on Saturday, June 7, after he birdied No. 17 with four holes remaining, but didn’t know exactly how it looked.
“I wasn’t too sure where I was sitting compared to the leader,” Masih said.
The Okemos senior briefly broke away from a four-way tie with his four on the par-5 17, but Novi Detroit Catholic Central’s Jack Whitmore and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern’s Grant Ofield both birdied the 15th hole to jump back up top with Masih.
Masih closed strong over his final three holes (the first three holes of the course following a shotgun start on No. 4). He followed a par on 18 with a birdie on No. 1, thanks to a close chip and one-putt to regain a one-stroke lead. He saved par on No. 2 after a “poor chip” and then finished with a birdie on No. 3 to stay one stroke ahead of Whitmore, who sank a birdie putt from the fringe on 18.
“The nerves got to me a little bit,” Masih said. “Everyone is all pumped up and I’m not sure where I’m at. I hit a 4-iron all right and stuck a 50-degree and made a putt for the win. … It was probably 7 feet. A good slider.”
Masih finished with three birdies over the final five holes to set a low score of 138 (69-69). He is the third boys golfer from Okemos to win an individual state championship, joining Bobby Albers in 2005 and Bob Fossum in 1979.
Whitmore finished second at 139 (69-70), followed by Warren De La Salle sophomore Julian Sinishtaj at 140 (69-71), Ofield at 141 (69-72) and Lake Orion’s Connor Fox in fifth at 142 (68-74). Rochester Adams’ Nick Smith (72-71-143) and De La Salle’s Anthony Sancimino (75-69-144) were the only other two golfers who shot par or better.
Masih, committed to play for Grand Valley State University, had the benefit of playing a familiar course for the state championship. Growing up in Okemos, just east of Forest Akers West, he played at the course “a lot” while he was growing up.
He hadn’t had as many rounds in recent years at Forest Akers due to becoming a member at the Lansing Country Club, but the muscle memory of navigating Michigan State’s course kicked in on Friday and Saturday.
“Coming in, I know this place really well,” Masih said. “I just tried to play my game, be patient and see what happens.”
Catholic Central repeats as Division 1 team champions
Novi Detroit Catholic Central enjoyed an 11-shot lead after the first round of the 36-hole championship thanks to a strong performance across the board on Friday, June 6. The Shamrocks shot 5-under as a team on Day 1, propelled by a 69 from Whitmore and a 68 from Dillon Che, to sit well ahead of Brighton and Rochester Adams entering Saturday’s Day 2.
Catholic Central followed it up with a 304 on Day 2, but the first-day margin was large enough to allow a comfortable victory over second-place Rochester Adams, which finished with Saturday’s best team score (296).
Catholic Central finished at 587 over 36 holes, followed by Adams at 594, Brighton at 601 and Forest Hills Northern and De La Salle tied for fourth at 602.
“Fortunately, we had a really good first day because Adams had a really good day today,” Catholic Central coach Mike Fras said. “And boy, they are a good team. Great coach, great kids, but our players were a close-knit group. We are all about culture, family and team and when we do that, good things are going to happen.”
Catholic Central’s depth was a big reason it pulled through. The Shamrocks had 10 candidates for the top five and didn’t lock in the roster until regionals. The intra-squad competition helped bring the best out of the entire roster.
“I honestly believe anybody in our top 10 could sub in for one of us and we would still win,” Whitmore said.
Whitmore, who finished one stroke behind Masih for the individual title, was solely focused on winning a second consecutive team championship and was not concerned with where he stood on the individual leader board.
“That was the goal the whole year,” Whitmore said. “We did everything to go for the state championship and it just feels nice to finally do it.”
Catholic Central has won three of four Division 1 team state championships and will be poised to compete for the trophy again in 2026. Whitmore, David Krusinksi, Collin Davis and Luke Slankster will return from CC’s top five, plus several other returners who did not make the top five for the state championship.
“We’ve got experience out here doing this, and it’s going to be the same thing next year,” Fras said.
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Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com; Follow Jared on X or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: MHSAA boys golf: Okemos’ Ian Masih wins Division 1; Novi Detroit CC repeats as team champions
Reporting by Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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