Ancell falls short of win at state
Fate was not kind to Pahrump Valley High School golfer Austen Ancell, as he failed to win his second state title at Spring Creek Golf Course in Elko.
“I really feel that Ancell is more disappointed than I am,” Hopkins said. “I feel the best golfer didn’t win. Austen is a tremendous golfer and is the best golfer in the division. Since I have been golf coach, Austen and Dorian Patel are the two best players.
“Austen has been the most successful in state tournament play. That is the way golf is, sometimes the best golfer doesn’t always win. I will miss him and hope four or five guys want to be Austen someday and want to play for us. Of course, they will have to go out and work at it.”
The 3A Nevada State Golf Tournament ended on Tuesday with Daniel Mahlke winning with a 150 for the two-day tourney. Ancell finished in a tie with Kyler Atkinson of Boulder City, both shooting 154. According to the NIAA rules for golf tournaments, the tie was broken by the scorecard, “best score on the back nine of the second day.”
“Second place went to Kyler because they used the score card to determine second place,” Hopkins said.
After a bad start on Monday, Ancell had a great back nine with three birdies on holes 14, 15 and 16, which gave him a 6-over-par 77 and second place by a two-stroke margin.
His father, Ryan Ancell, was glued on Tuesday to Birdie Fire.com which updated the golfers’ scores online every five minutes.
“Are you kidding, I am glued to this thing,” Ryan Ancell said after being asked if he was paying attention to it.
On Tuesday it was an exciting round of golf. It looked like Ancell was going to make a comeback. He tied it on hole 14 and took the lead by one stroke on hole 15, but tragedy struck on hole 16.
“Austen was put at a disadvantage because he is long-ball hitter,” Trojans coach Bob Hopkins said. “He hardly hit his driver. He even used a wedge off the tee on a par 5. He had a bad tee shot on hole 16.”
On hole 16 Ancell triple bogeyed the hole, (shot a 7 on a par 4) and he had to make up those three shots on hole 17 and 18 and didn’t. The winner, Daniel Mahlke, shot a 75 the first day and a 75 the second day to win by four strokes.
Austen was disappointed but he still is going out with one state title, one regional title and a golf scholarship to Regis College in Denver.
“I really am happy that I was able to develop as a player and as a person,” Ancell said. “I am really happy to have the opportunities that I did have here and I hope to have a major impact on my new team at Regis, playing the best I can.”
Hopkins said his team benefited from going to state this year. The team was second in the region and finished in fifth place overall at state.
“We had five guys that played at state and this was their first time under any real pressure,” the coach said. “We will have three of those players back next year.”
Contact sports editor Vern Hee at vhee@pvtimes.com
