State champions crowned around South Carolina

It was a big day for many young golfers who got to lift a trophy or put on a medal as a state champion.

Here are a few highlights from each of the championships decided. A full summary of the success state championship teams had will follow later this week.

Ruth Repeats as 5A Medalist

Will Ruth could be called a magician for the way he continually pulls a rabbit out of the hat on the golf course.

The Dorman High golfer won another major state event with a late rally. Ruth had to make up a five-shot deficit to catch the leaders in the 5A DI tournament at Wildwood.

Just as he did twice last year—on his way to major junior titles at the Southern Cross and the State High School Championship—it was heroics on the final hole of regulation that put Ruth in position for another major junior title in the Palmetto State.

Ruth needed to sink a 20-foot birdie putt on his final hole to catch his teammate Casey Kosney and River Bluff’s Nathan Kaufman.

After Ruth’s putt dropped into the center of the cup, the playoff began on the same 18th finishing hole at Wildwood.

All three golfers survived the first playoff hole before Kosney missed a par putt and was eliminated, finishing third.

While Ruth and Kaufman played the hole three more times, it became apparent that Ruth’s strength off the tee with his driver gave him a distinct advantage.

“This course does not really fit my game,” Ruth said. “But 18 is wide open, and I’ve been hitting my driver solid, so I just went for it on every tee shot.”

Ruth’s driving ability may have been the key to his win.

“I was trying to wear them out mentally and physically by hitting it so far. I don’t think it intimidated them, but it put me in great positions,” he said.

Last year at Lexington, Ruth eagled his final hole in regulation to force a playoff for the state championship, which he won in two holes.

This year’s playoff remained even until Kaufman missed a putt, opening the door for Ruth on the fifth time playing the 18th hole.

Knowing he could two-putt to win, Ruth rolled his first putt close and tapped in for his second South Carolina High School League state championship.

“I was kind of down when I wasn’t able to defend at the Southern Cross or our region,” he said. “I was starting to wonder what kind of year I was having if I couldn’t win those tournaments again.”

If Ruth needs any reassurance about how his year will be remembered, winning another state championship in a playoff should solidify it as a highlight of his golfing career.

“There’s just something about state championships. You go out there and play hard. I think winning this title lets me believe I’ve had an incredible year,” said Ruth.

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River Bluff wins first state championship

River Bluff Wins First State Championship

The Gators have had a couple of close calls in state championship competition, but this year, a young team matured over two days to rise to the challenge and defeat some of the highest-ranked teams in South Carolina.

In the first round, River Bluff finished with a total score of 301, tying for the lead with the state’s top 5A Division 1 team from Dorman.

Led by Nathaniel Caughman’s 3-under-par 69, the Gators positioned themselves to play in the final groups off the tee.

In the second round, Dorman fell off the pace and was replaced by Spartanburg as the top challenger for the 5A title.

Steady play by the Gators kept them in the lead and blunted the charge by the Vikings. However, Dorman’s two veteran players, Ruth and Kosmey, made up enough ground to add some suspense to the race for the team title.

By the end of the round, River Bluff had a 3-shot advantage over Dorman and secured the school’s first golf championship.

“In our first year, we hosted the state tournament, and when you are the host, you can play as a team,” said Roger Smith, the Gators’ coach. “We missed out another time by just a shot, so this is a great feeling. To see how the hard work the team has put in can win a championship,” he said.

Some teams catch lightning in a bottle for a year and win, but for the Gators, this has been a four-year process of bringing young players along to compete at the highest level.

“Seeing these kids from seventh grade to seniors, this is a deserving group of kids. They represent the school and their parents well,” said Smith.

In the 12 years River Bluff has been competing, Smith has seen how much better golf has become among state juniors, making this win all the more satisfying.

“High school golf in South Carolina is good—everybody is playing golf—and when you look at the scores across the state, you see how good the players are. Hopefully, having a state championship is going to be good for River Bluff and great for the kids on the team. They can remember being state champions,” he said.

The Gator team included Nathaniel Caughman, Howard Vroon, Maddox McCamy, Sam Booth, and Jessie Carlile. Caughman and Vroon were both named to the 2025 All-State team.

TL Hanna pulls off a 3-pete as State Champions

With the last two South Carolina Junior Players of the Year on the team, it was easy to see why the Hanna Yellow Jackets were favorites to win a third straight state championship.

But being the favorite and actually winning are two very different things.

This year, Hanna mixed up its lineup to provide playing opportunities to future Yellow Jackets. The results showed promise, but also highlighted the need for Bennett Scaletta, the 2023 Jay Haas Junior Award winner, and Eric Erlenkeuser, the 2024 award winner.

The Yellow Jackets took the lead in the first round over Greenville, the team many observers thought could challenge them for the title.

Hanna was led in the first round by future Clemson golfer Tip Price, who shot a 4-under-par 68 to hold the individual lead after Day 1.

Greenville didn’t go away easily. In the second round, Hugh Faulkner—a future Anderson University golfer—carded a 5-under-par 67 to keep Greenville’s title hopes alive.

The Yellow Jackets closed out the tournament with Erlenkeuser finishing at 2-under, while Scaletta and Caden Olsommer each shot 1-under-par.

And Hanna needed every one of those shots. Greenville kept up the pressure but ultimately fell one shot short.

While Greenville was expected to be Hanna’s main competition, Riverside quietly matched Greenville’s total and finished in a tie for second—also just one shot back.

Brennan Kelly and Nate League each shot a final-round 69 to push the Warriors into that tie with Greenville.

Ty Childers of Gaffney had a final-round 1-under-par, helping the Indians move into fourth place on the final day.

Greenwood, another team considered a potential challenger to Hanna, finished fifth after a season that included several tournament wins.

At the end of regulation, two-time state champion Mason Kucia, Hugh Faulkner, Eric Erlenkeuser, and Tip Price were all tied, forcing a playoff to determine the medalist.

As close as the team race was, the battle for individual medalist honors was just as competitive.

When the playoff concluded, Erlenkeuser—a future Georgia Southern golfer—captured the individual medalist honors at the SC 5A Division II Championship at The Cliffs at Mountain Park.

Please come back as we will update our state championship stories all this week

Thanks Stan