Crouch means business when it comes to state golf tournament

Compared to the state and national junior and amateur events in which A.J. Crouch has competed, his time playing for the Bolles School golf team is almost a drop in the bucket.

The high school season starts in late August and culminates Tuesday and Wednesday with the Class 2A and Class 1A state tournaments, at four Central Florida sites. That's less than three months and most of the competition consists of nine-hole matches.

The entire post-season, if a team gets to the state tournament, is only 72 holes. Crouch, a senior and the 2011 Times-Union high school player of the year, competed in twice that number of holes during one nine-day stretch in the summer in which he played in three tournaments, winning one and finishing third in the other two.

However, no one should have any doubts about Crouch's determination when the Bulldogs play in the Class 1A boys tournament at the Deer Island Golf and Lake Club in Tavares.

"I want to win this tournament and I want the team to win this tournament, as much as I want to win any tournament I play," said Crouch, who will sign with the University of Florida later in November. "I never approached a high school match with any less of a desire to win than any other tournament."

Class 2A boys tee times, groupings. Class 2A girls tee times, groupings.

Class 1A boys tee times, groupings. Class 1A girls tee times, groupings.

Crouch has additional motivation. He lost last year's individual state title in a playoff to Collin Englehardt of Winter Park Trinity Prep, after both shot 5-under-par 139 in regulation. Bolles finished second as a team to West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman.

Englehardt didn't make the state tournament this year. But Cardinal Newman is back, along with other pre-tournament favorites such as American Heritage, the Community School of Naples and Archbishop McCarthy.

Bolles had the best regional team score at 280. American Heritage shot 287 and Naples 293.

"That looks good but in reality, you can't go by those scores if you're looking at what might happen in the state tournament," said Bolles coach Rick Root. "We had a good day but maybe a team in one of the other regionals played just as well and it was windy, or they had a tougher course. There are a lot of strong teams in Class 1A and we need our five guys to have two good rounds to have a chance."

Crouch and fellow senior John Jonas each shot 68 in the Region 2-1A tournament at Eagle Harbor last week. Jack Comstock and Jordan Batchelor each shot 72.

To demonstrate Bolles' depth, Osborn Theam shot 79 in the regional. But the week before at the district tournament, he tied Comstock, a freshman, for the team's low score with a 73.

"Any of us can win the tournament if they play well," Crouch said. "If I'm the fifth player both days [in which case his score wouldn't count to the team total] I'd be happy if we won the state championship."

Root likes that kind of of talk.

"Remember that A.J. also plays on our basketball team, and he brings a team-sport mentality to an individual sport," Root said. "He's all about the five guys playing in the tournament that day, not about him."

Joining Bolles in the 1A state tournament will be Providence, led by Henry Torres, the team's medalist in the district and regional tournaments.

In the boys 2A tournament at the Mission Inn Resort and Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Sandalwood, Ponte Vedra and Bartram Trail will represent the First Coast, as well as Region 2-2A individual champion Josh Lee of Fleming Island, who is playing as an individual. Ponte Vedra is in the girls 2A tournament at Mission Hills and Providence is in the girls 1A state tournament at Harbor Hills Country Club in Lady Lake.

Garry Smits: (904) 359-4362.