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Last weekend, the George Rogers Clark High School boys’ golf team members could be found on the course at the Bowling Green Country Club in western Kentucky.

As a team and individual competitors, they took on some of the state’s top competition in the 2023 Leachman/KHSAA Boys’ Golf State Tournament.

For the Cards, it was their first appearance at the state finals in approximately ten years.

Competing with the team were seniors Jacob Settles, Clay Turley, and Jace Patrick, junior Evan Taylor, and seventh-grader Knox Taylor (no relation).

As eighth-grade students, Settles, Turley, and Patrick had previously represented Winchester at the middle school state championships.

Though he did not compete, freshman Oliver Hutchinson traveled as an alternate.

As one of only nine high school teams left in Kentucky still competing at the state tournament, the Cards finished in sixth place – ahead of Ryle, Rockcastle County, and McCracken County.

Their total/gross score through two rounds was +71, considered exceptional by many standards.

Madison Central, who repeated as state champions, finished with a +27 gross score.

Individually, Jacob Settles was one of many standouts in a field featuring nearly 90 competitors from counties throughout the Commonwealth.

He finished with a score of +5, tying three other competitors – Cam Roberts of Pikeville, Levi Keith of Larue County, and Braydon Bond of Madison Central – for seventh place.

Evan Taylor tied for 51st place with a +19 score.

Jace Patrick tied for 54th place with a +20 score.

Knox Taylor tied for 68th place with a +27 score.

Clay Turley tied for 79th place with a +31 score.

With a score of -8, University of Louisville commit Brady Smith of Christian Academy in Louisville repeated as the state champion.