CHS golfers Duckels and Zilm win Drysdale
Carlinville High School athletes Carter Zilm and Tate Duckels each brought home championship trophies at the Drysdale golf tournament last weekend. Cade Vinyard also made a deep run for Carlinville, reaching day three of four as a championship flight qualifier in the 14-15 age group. Photo contributed.
By JACKSON WILSON
Enquirer Democrat Reporter
Carlinville High School golfers took the Drysdale Golf Tournament by storm this year.
Tate Duckels and Carter Zilm each won championships in their respective groups.
This was Duckels’s sixth year at Drysdale, which he classified as “his favorite tournament.” He previously lost the championship match twice, and won a pair of consolation prizes. The other time, he fell short of Championship flight match and failed to qualify for the final day of the event. Finally, in 2023, Duckels cleared the hurdle in a final match that came down to the wire and was decided by a single stroke.
Duckels finished the championship front nine at one under par with a four-hole lead and played it even with his opponent from Litchfield until a late mettle evened the stalemate after hole No. 17. On the final venture, both boys delivered on high pressure tee shots that touched down the middle. Each then struck their second shots well, but both found sand in the green-side bunkers. Duckels had a difficult shot out of the sand onto a side-hill/downhill sloped green, but still managed to clutch up from eight feet distant the cup and lock up a highly-anticipated victory.
Zilm won his match 4 up 3 over another one of Litchfield’s strongest players.
With his win, Zilm went undefeated in match play last week and took home the First Flight championship in the 14-15 age group.
Cade Vinyard and Colin Pope didn’t obtain any hardware, but still gave valiant efforts.
Vinyard lost his Consolation Championship semi-final match.
In his first year in the 14-15 age group, Vinyard qualified for the final flight following a dominant performance that earned him an 11-13 medal last summer.
Pope kept things close throughout but his tournament ended with a tough loss in a tight match on day two of the 16-17 competition.
