CARMEL – Hudson Kutchma is a better golfer in the rain. That is what his coach, Josh Bryant, always tells him anyway.
After Wednesday’s performance in the final round of the state finals, consider it the truth.
Kutchma, a Westfield senior, came up clutch with a birdie on No. 18 at Prairie View Golf Course, then won a playoff on the second hole in a driving rain against Guerin Catholic senior Eli Wessel to win the individual state championship.
“I don’t think it’s kicked in yet,” a smiling Kutchma said after his round. “I just can’t believe I won individually, but more to my team. They just keep me going all the days at practice and even the matches. I started the year off at No. 4 on our team and ended at No. 2. But the number didn’t matter, it’s just about hyping up my team.”
Kutchma’s individual title helped propel Westfield to its second consecutive state team title, which came by just one shot over Center Grove (16-over-par 592 to Center Grove’s 593). A championship – team or individual – never comes down to one shot, necessarily, during the course of a 36-hole tournament. But you could point to Kutchma’s shot from the 18th fairway as the rain picked up on Wednesday afternoon as a major turning point.
After bogeying No. 16 and 17, Kutchma was not even aware of he was still in the running for the individual title as he hit his drive on No. 18. But he put it down the fairway on the par-5, leaving himself with an opportunity to put his second shot on the green.
Kutchma talked it over with Bryant, who was looking at what Westfield needed from him and No. 1 Ryan Cesare, who was in the group behind him.
“He was just like, ‘You have to make birdie,’” Kutchma said. “I was like, ‘Alright, I’ll send it then.’”
His ball was sitting 261 yards out. Kutchma hit a 7-wood to get the ball on the green, then two-putted to get the necessary birdie to clinch the team title and put himself in position for the individual playoff. It was a remarkable finish for Kutchma on the heels of disappointing back-to-back bogeys.
“As a golfer, I feel like I’m a kid that never gives up,” he said. “I can do whatever I need to do and whatever I put my mind to, I can do.”
Wessel, with three birdies on the back nine, needed a fourth to put the individual championship away in regulation. But his uphill attempt at a birdie putt on 18 just rolled past the hole to the left. He tapped in for par to force the playoff.
“I put myself in a good spot to make a birdie, but I didn’t execute a chip,” Wessel said of the 18th hole. “It didn’t quite do what I thought it would. But I’m still thankful for the experience. I didn’t expect to be in contention for the lead down the stretch, so it was good.”
In the playoff, both golfers had matching pars on No. 1. On No. 2, as the rain continued to increase in intensity, Wessel missed a par put after workers used a squeegee to remove the standing water on the green. Kutchma made his par putt to clinch the title as his Westfield teammates swarmed him.
Wessel started the day five shots behind Kutchma, Castle freshman Alexander Cook and Center Grove sophomore Drew Carlson.
“I feel like in regulation (the conditions) were fine,” Wessel said. “We got into the playoff and I went into it knowing not too much spin in the fairways … I thought the putt was going to be a little bit slower with all the water on the greens, so I just hit it a little bit too hard. But I’m not going to hang my head over it. I played great, just had some tough conditions down the stretch.”
The Indiana High School Athletic Association moved up the final round by 30 minutes in an attempt to avoid the inclement weather. It turned out to be a wise choice, though it is unclear how many more playoff holes Kutchma and Wessel could have battled it out.
“Eli is a really good player,” Kutchma said. “He beat Ryan (Cesare) in our county playoff. I told myself on the first playoff hole, ‘I can’t let this happen. I can’t let him beat another Westfield kid.’”
Individual results
Top 15
Hudson Kutchma (12), Westfield 68-74-142
Eli Wessel (12), Guerin Catholic 73-69-142
Alexander Cook (9), Castle 68-75-143
Drew Carlson (10), Center Grove 68-76-144
Caden Baker (12), Homestead 73-72-145
Max Steiner (12), Zionsville 74-71-145
Johnny Leaman (12), Cathedral 73-72-145
Tyler Marucci (12), Noblesville 72-73-145
Colton Watson (12), Bloomington South 71-75-146
Nathan Springer (12), Center Grove 74-72-146
Callen Szerdy (12), Western 76-71-147
Ben Divido (10), Elkhart 77-71-148
Matthew Ferguson (11), Franklin 74-74-148
Brayden Lamborne (12), Castle 76-72-148
Mattingly Upchurch (12), Hamilton Southeastern 75-74-149
Jackson Mahan (12), Noblesville 74-75-149
Elijah Lemmon (11), Mt. Vernon 74-75-149
Brayden Worthington (11), Westfield 75-74-149
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ‘You have to make birdie.’ Westfield senior Hudson Kutchma comes up clutch
Reporting by Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
