No one is perfect in golf, and everyone has bad days.
But Drake Harvey came closer to perfection than any Nevada high school golfer ever has.
The Sky Pointe senior put an exclamation point on his career by making Nevada history Thursday. Harvey shot a two-day, 11-under 133 at Mountain Falls to claim a state-record fourth consecutive 4A individual title. No other golfer has accomplished that feat at any level.
“Winning four is pretty sweet,” Harvey said. “It’s a record that can’t be broken. It can only be tied.”
His only career loss in NIAA competition came against his brother, freshman Heath Harvey, who defeated him by four strokes in a league meet April 21 at Las Vegas National.
Drake Harvey was back in command Thursday, finishing 10 strokes ahead of his brother. Heath Harvey finished second, and the Eagles ran away with their first 4A state team title.
Las Vegas’ Taber Stone shot 149 to claim third place in individual competition, while Clark High finished 17 strokes back for second as a team and Silverado was 19 strokes back for third.
“After the first round, we were only up by two,” said Drake Harvey, who will play at BYU next year. “I knew I had to shoot low in the final round, not only to win as an individual but also to give my team a chance. I ended up playing the par-5s really well and I kept the ball out in front of me.”
He accomplished his goal, but his teammates also stepped up to make it easy by finishing nine strokes lower than they did on Wednesday.
Harvey said he was fortunate to have a lot of good days.
“You just kind go out there and hope you have it at the time,” he said.
Harvey golfed a lower score Thursday than any of the 5A golfers in their regional match. Same course, same conditions.
“This builds some momentum going into BYU,” Harvey said. “I’m excited to see how good the team will be.”
5A Southern Region golf championship
Palo Verde’s Tripp Hildreth shot 2-under 66 Thursday for a two-day total of 137, claiming the Southern Region title at River Falls by one stroke over Coronado’s Anderson Lee.
Lee’s efforts did not go unrewarded, as the Cougars continued their regional dominance by placing three golfers in the top 10 to win the team title. Bishop Gorman finished 13 strokes back for second place and Palo Verde was 17 back for third.
All three teams advance to next week’s state tourney, to be held May 12-13 at Boulder Creek.
3A Southern Region golf championship
Boulder City’s Chase Herbolsheimer shot even-par 72 Thursday, and his two-day score of 149 was good for the individual regional title at Mountain Falls.
Virgin Valley’s Charlie Davis shot four-over 76 for the second consecutive day to finish three strokes back for second place. He was one of four Bulldogs to finish in the top 10, leading his team to its second consecutive regional championship.
Boulder City shot 335 to finish 19 strokes back for second place, and Pahump was third. All three teams advance to next week’s state match, to be held May 12-13 at Boulder Creek.
Contact Jeff Wollard at jwollard@reviewjournal.com.
