Milton resident Chris Morrow birdied the second hole of a sudden-death playoff Monday, Oct. 26, to win his second straight MIAA Division 1 individual golf state championship at Wellesley Country Club.
Morrow, a junior at Xaverian Brothers High School, shot an even-par 71 in regulation, tying Xaverian senior Michael McCormack and St. John's Prep senior AJ Bodnar. All three bogeyed the first playoff hole before Morrow separated himself on the second with a birdie on the 323-yard, par-4 fourth hole, the Boston Globe reported.
The victory made Morrow the fourth two-time Division 1 state medalist. He also won in a playoff last year at The Ridge Club in Sandwich.
"There is pressure, but I kind of like it," Morrow told MassLive. "It's a lot of fun having a crowd out there. It's pretty rare in junior golf to have a big crowd following you, so you feegd off of that."
Morrow and McCormack's play powered Xaverian to a team score of 298, 11 strokes ahead of runner-up St. John's Prep at 309. It was the Hawks' second consecutive team championship and eighth in program history. Junior Luke Edgar shot 75 to finish sixth individually, and junior Tucker Pierce added an 81.
Xaverian finished the season 14-2. The Hawks won the Cape Cod National High School Invitational by 10 strokes and took the MIAA South Sectional by seven before closing the year with the state title.
Xaverian coach Gerry Lambert praised his players' composure, telling the Globe he was "continually amazed by how mentally strong they are."
Morrow has one more season with the Hawks. Xaverian will look to defend both titles next fall.
