Male Golfer of the Year: USJ’s Ryan Davis
All that separates Ryan Davis from the story he’s telling and the story he wants to tell is a fairway bunker in Manchester.
The University School of Jackson junior was in a one-hole playoff in October for the Division II-A state championship. His aggressive approach on the second playoff hole led to an errant shot into the sand, and it cost him when St. George’s golfer Davis Irving made par and Davis made bogey.
After matching Irving with a 73 the first day and 71 the next, Davis missed a state title by the narrowest of margins.
But he successfully handled a larger role for USJ this spring, and he represented his school well with strong performances throughout the postseason. For that he is the The Jackson Sun’s All-West Tennessee Male Golfer of the Year.
The Bruins had to replace graduates Chase Harris, who is now playing for the University of Memphis, Ray Howard and Matthew Teel.
The 2015 group, consisting of Davis, Holden Kirk, Grayson Kirk, Drake Norris and Brandon Hatchett, finished third in the regional tournament and fifth in the Division II-A state tournament.
“Our whole team kind of didn’t expect to be as good as we were last year, so we just tried to do the best for our team and we went from there,” Davis said. “I think we did extremely well for what we had this year, so I’m proud of them.”
Davis, who also plays basketball for the Bruins, is tall and can drive the ball about 290 yards routinely (“300 if it’s downwind” Davis said with a grin).
But he wanted to emphasize his short game this season and worked on that with Rob Akins, a golf coach at Spring Creek Ranch in Collierville. He also worked on his putting with Bobby Davis at Humboldt.
The practice showed up in the biggest moments, as he shot a 5-under 67 at the Division II-A West regional.
“He’s playing fantastic,” USJ coach Tommy Talkington said during the regional. “I’m just tickled to death with Ryan.”
Davis followed that with the 144 at state.
“Last year I’d have one good side, and then I didn’t have a good [nine] on the other side, but this time I finally pieced it all together a couple times,” he said. “I think it was mainly just short game being so consistent this year, and just practicing every morning before school or after school.”
Davis shot 157 at the state tournament as a freshman and 160 as a sophomore. His two rounds this year were both better than any of his four rounds at state the previous two years.
Davis picked up the game in seventh grade and plays at Jackson Country Club and Humboldt Country Club. His father, Keith, is also a golfer.
Ryan Davis also played in the Stone Cup city-county championship this past summer before school started, qualifying for match play and earning a No. 7 seed out of more than 50 golfers. It foreshadowed a good season ahead.
Davis and Holden Kirk were the only members of this year’s USJ team with previous state tournament experience. If the Bruins can return in 2016, they’ll be more familiar with the big crowds, the big stakes and the big moments.
Davis, of course, knows what the big moment feels like. Perhaps with some more practice and another chance in Manchester, it will end with a championship this time.
“I’m just going to try to be positive with it, work with it, take it as positive as possible, just take it as a learning experience,” Davis said. “And hopefully I’ll get it next year.”
Craig Thomas, 425-9634
ALL-WEST TENNESSEE FIRST TEAM
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