One shot made Chittenango boys golfer Kyler Christopher famous on the Central New York scene. And it was by the margin of a single shot that Christopher will get to continue his season nearly eight months from now.
Christopher joined Clayton Chandler as the lone Bears players taking part in Tuesday’s Onondaga High School League fall tournament at Timber Banks in Baldwinsville. Of the 80 golfers entered, the top 20 individuals, plus ties, would advance to the Section III state qualifier late in May at Seven Oaks in Hamilton.
When he teed off, Christopher was just a week removed from his hole-in-one on the par-four 9th hole, his final hole of the regular season, at Willowbrook Country Club during Chittenango’s match against Cortland on Sept. 27.
Nothing close to that would take place on the 6,400-yard Timber Banks layout. Instead, the entire field fought soggy fairways from weekend rains and aerated greens that were difficult to putt.
Two golfers, East Syracuse Minoa’s Ian Rivers and Oswego’s Joe Kelly, shot five-over-par 77 to tie for medalist honors, two shots ahead of Auburn’s Ross Burgmaster, who helped his undefeated Maroons win the Large School team title with 423 as Westhill (441) took small-school honors.
The real drama, for Christopher, involved whether his 18-hole total of 89, which included a front-nine 48 and back-nine 41, posted early, would hold up.
It took until the final totals were in, but Christopher found that he tied Phoenix’s Ryan Shafer and Westhill seventh-grader Anthony Maglisco for 18th place, and the cut fell right on 89.
Thus, Christopher is going to Seven Oaks for the state qualifier, though Chandler would not join him as he shot a 107, with nines of 52 and 55.
