State Golf: South Fork's Gatlin Albright wins Class 2A title on final-hole birdie
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For the first time in school history, South Fork High School is home to a state golf champion.
Gatlin Albright displayed poise when it mattered most and sank the putt of his life.
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The Bulldogs junior drained a short birdie putt on the 18th hole to win the Class 2A state title Wednesday afternoon at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills.
Albright entered the final hole of the two-round tournament tied with American Heritage's Sohan Patel for the lead at 2-under-par. Patel made par on the par-4 18th, but Albright rolled in a 3-foot birdie putt to become the school's first state champion, boys or girls, in program history.
He also became the Treasure Coast's fifth state golf champion, joining Vero Beach's James Hassell (2020), The Pine School's Garrett Barber (2017), Okeechobee's Richard Donegan (2011) and St. Edward's Sal Spallone (1996). Albright's two-round score of 139 is the second-lowest mark among area champions, trailing only Barber's 134.
With Albright leading the way, South Fork finished tied with Bishop Moore Catholic for fourth place with a team score of 601. Both schools finished 12 strokes behind champion Coral Springs Charter.
Bulldogs junior Tyler Lilienfeld wrapped up his season in a tie for ninth after shooting a 2-over-par 146. He was followed by junior teammate Cooper Foegen and Sebastian River's Jaxson Weese, who tied for 32nd after carding a 10-over-par 154.
Albright was one shot off the lead after Tuesday's opening round, firing a 2-under-par 70. He trailed Patel and Barron Collier's Kaden Latreille entering the final round.
Latreille fell out of contention on the back nine with double bogeys on the par-5 15th and 17th holes, dropping six strokes off the lead and into a three-way tie for sixth. That left the state title race to Albright and Patel.
Albright trailed by two strokes through five holes before cutting the deficit in half with a birdie on the par-4 sixth. He moved into the lead after making par on the next three holes while Patel bogeyed the par-4 seventh and ninth. The Patriots senior responded with a birdie on the par-3 15th before both players birdied the 16th and parred the 17th.
It came down to the final hole, with Albright emerging on top. The victory was the junior's fifth of the season. He won three regular-season tournaments and captured the District 14-2A title.
Class 2A state championships - Boys
Wednesday, Nov. 11 at Mission Inn Resort
Team scores: 1. Coral Springs Charter - 589; 2. Barron Collier - 594; 3. American Heritage - 600; T4. Bishop Moore - 601; T4. South Fork - 601
State champion: Gatlin Albright, South Fork, 139 (70-69)
Other area scores: T9. Tyler Lilienfeld, SF, 146 (73-73); T32. Jaxson Weese, Sebastian River, 154 (76-78); T32. Cooper Foegen, SF, 154 (75-79); T60. Cody Rausch, SF, 162 (77-85); Ryder Kenney, SF, WD
Class 2A state championships - Girls
Wednesday, Nov. 11 at Mission Inn Resort
Team scores: 1. Downtown Doral - 629
State champion: Gatlin Albright, South Fork, 139 (70-69)
Area scores: T48. Adyson Millican, SR, 168 (83-85); T52. Katherine Breslin, SF, 169 (86-83)
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at 772-985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: State Golf: South Fork's Gatlin Albright wins Class 2A title on final-hole birdie