BEAVERCREEK — Ask Bellbrook junior Andrew Magill and he’ll jokingly tell you he knew it was in the bag the night before District golf play began when he foresaw his victory.
As the final players were coming in though, Magill went and watched one of the final players who had a chance to finish with a score near his and said he was shaking seeing each number above his be posted. Nobody caught Magill and his medalist-earning score of 72.
He became what is believed to be the first boys golf state qualifier for Bellbrook, according to the knowledge head coach Jeff Scohy was able to provide.
“Definitely not in the last 20 years,” he said. “It’s pretty cool.”
It wasn’t any easier for Scohy to watch, who became emotional at the thought of what Magill has done in close to a year.
See, Magill’s story may draw the ire of those who have played the game of golf their entire lives and never able to conquer the unconquerable.
Last season, he wasn’t even a varsity player and averaged close to the 50’s. One year of playing competitive golf later, he has become one of the top players on the team and now heads to the state tournament.
“During the summer, I was practicing every single day and knew I really needed to work on the mental part of the game,” Magill said.
Scohy paid close attention to his junior player after gaining word on the rest of his team’s status.
“Once he made the turn at 1-under after a great par at nine, I knew the rest of our guys weren’t having the best days, so I went around and told them you’re probably not gonna see me much so stock up on water than anything you need,” Scohy said. “I was just going to be with Andrew every shot of the way.”
The 1-under 35 referenced on his front-nine was tied for the best nine holes of the day. It’s not as if Magill’s play was flawless, and he knew when he needed some help.
“On [hole] 15, he has about a 50-yard bunker shot and everybody knows that kind of shot is one of the hardest in golf,” Scohy said. “He calls me over, and told me that he’s never hit the shot before. I’m just like, are you kidding me? So I just said all right, we’re just going to take a nine-iron and hit a normal bunker shot to the middle of the green. But that just shows how raw he still is as far as his talent goes.”
Scohy compared the accomplishment to someone his age playing football for the first time, becoming the starting quarterback and leading the way to a state finals appearance.
A week of preparation now awaits him ahead of the biggest rounds Magill may have played to date. Scohy said he’ll let his player practice on his own, but wants to find a way to get them to the Scarlet Course at Ohio State University where the tournament will be held on Oct. 22 and 23.
In the meantime, Magill can continue to celebrate a tremendous accomplish almost all golfers wish they could experience.
“I called my mom and she was probably just sitting there at work screaming on the phone the entire time,” he said.
She may need to remember the need to be quiet on the course next week when state tees off.
