By George Bremer
The Herald Bulletin
ANDERSON, Ind. —
Colin Proctor’s final drive Friday was well off-target, settling into a bunker to the left of the fairway.
With a one-hole lead in the final round of the Boys State Junior Championship, the Pendleton Heights rising freshman knew he needed only a par to bring home the title.
Now that was looking to be extremely difficult.
Opponent Ryan Grassel, the fifth seed from Chesterton, opened the door slightly by hitting his second shot down the hill and to the left. But Proctor’s shot out of the sand still left him 110 yards away on the par-4 18th hole.
What happened next was a prime example of how the 15-year-old phenom belies his age and experience.
The match had been all square since the 10th hole. Anything but a magnificent approach shot was likely to leave Grassel with a legitimate shot of forcing overtime. At least.
But Proctor lofted his ball to within seven feet, and then cooly sank the putt that made him the best junior golfer in the state.
“It was pretty sweet,” he said by cellphone after the victory on Purdue University’s Kampen Course. “I hit a terrible tee shot. Then I hit a bad second shot. But if someone had told me that I would have a seven-foot putt to win, I’d say I’d take it before the tournament.”
The championship solidifies Proctor’s growing buzz. He won an Indiana Golf Foundation age group player of the year award last year and advanced to the round of 16 at the state junior.
This year he earned the No. 11 seed in stroke play then burned his way through the three-day match play event.
Proctor’s final day began with a 3&1 victory against Kokomo’s Ben-Marvin Egell in the semifinals before his classic duel with Grassel.
“I played two really good players today,” Proctor said. “I’m really happy to beat both of them.”
The win in the final likely will be remembered for awhile.
Proctor won the first hole of the match with a par, but then watched Grassel claim the next two with a par and birdie to go 1 up.
It was the only time the future Arabian trailed in the contest, and it was the start of a roller coaster front nine for Grassel.
Proctor missed a birdie putts on three of the next four holes but emerged with a one-hole lead after Grassel bogeyed Nos. 4 and 5.
Both players made par on No. 6 before Grassel knotted the match again with a birdie on 7. Another pair of pars followed on 8, and Proctor took the lead at the turn after Grassel took bogey on 9.
“I wasn’t hitting my best,” Proctor said. “But I found it on the back nine.”
The back nine includes more bunkers and water hazzards, but both players somehow settled into a comfortable rhythm.
Proctor had his worst hole of the day on No. 10 and was forced to concede as Grassel stared at a putt for eagle.
The match then remained all square into No. 17.
Grassel hit his drive short, and Proctor hit his long — about 30 yards past the pin on the par-3. But Grassel couldn’t get up and down, and Proctor two-putted for a lead he wouldn’t relinquish.
With the lead heading into the 18th hole, Proctor remained calm and steady.
“I told myself, ‘I just have to par this hole, and I’ll probably win,’” he said.
The effort might have been a little more taxing than he’d prefer, but Proctor did just that.
Noting he has three more years left to compete in the event, Proctor said the championship felt “great.”
He’ll compete once more this summer at an age group event in Michigan, and then he’ll begin concentrating on his first high school season this spring. At Pendleton Heights, he’ll team with rising senior Jake Groninger who won the stroke play portion of this tournament and entered match play as the No. 1 seed.
The pair is looking forward to competing together, but what can Proctor possibly do for an encore next summer?
“Try and win again it,” he said, “I guess.”
