FRIEDENSBURG — Blue Mountain’s Tanner Cook had given up high school golf to play football following his sophomore year.
This fall, he went back to golf.
It turned out to be an excellent decision.
Cook competed in his first Schuylkill League Individual Boys’ Golf Championship on Monday and won the title with a 3-over 75 on a humid, and sometimes wet, afternoon at Hidden Valley Golf Course.
Cook birdied his third hole of the day and was solid all round to become the first Blue Mountain golfer to win the individual league championship since Ryan Laudeman in 2010. Cook also earned an automatic berth into the District 11 Class AAA Golf Championships set for Monday, Oct. 12, at Schuylkill Country Club.
Cook finished one shot ahead of teammate and fellow senior Bailey Sophy, who shot a 76. Cook felt that playing and practicing along side Sophy all season was a big help in him winning the championship Monday.
After Sophy received his runner-up medal, he went over and shook Cook’s hand and embraced him before Cook got his medal.
“It means everything,” Cook said about winning the championship. “I wanted it bad.
“Playing with Bailey really helps with competition because
you are playing with the best all year long, and then this, it means everything.
“We help each other, pick each other up all season long. It’s been great playing with him.”
Cook probably wasn’t in the championship conversation going into Monday’s individual tournament, especially with the previous two league champs — Lourdes’ Evan Salamone (2014) and Marian’s Albert McFadden (2013) — in the field, along with North Schuylkill’s Hunter Mickatavage, the 2015 Schuylkill County Junior Golf champion.
Cook ended up outlasting them all.
Pottsville’s Mike O’Pake (77) finished two strokes back, while McFadden was fourth with a 78 and Mickatavage finished four strokes back in fifth with a 79. Salamone was ninth with an 82.
Cook was frustrated with his golf game following his sophomore season in 2013, which finished when he shot an 84 at Blue Mountain Golf Course during the Schuylkill League Team Championship on Sept. 25. Since Cook played football since youth, he decided to give that a try last fall.
He played four games as a backup quarterback until he was hurt in Week 5. Cook said broke three bones in his left arm last season during football, and ended up having surgery on both his left arm and right wrist.
“I felt that I had a good season until I got hurt,” Cook said. “That’s why I came back to golf. That sport gave me three broken bones and two surgeries. I was done with that.”
Cook was steady from the start Monday, finishing his round with two birdies — both on par 5s — 11 pars and five bogeys. He shot a 38 on the front nine and 37 on the back nine of Hidden Valley’s par-72, 5,924-yard layout.
Cook had no idea how he was doing place-wise until he started checking in with Sophy, who was playing in the group ahead of him. That’s when he found out Sophy was leading his group and Cook was on top of his foursome.
Cook played Monday with Nativity’s Tyler Coyle, O’Pake and McFadden and started at No. 11. He parred his first two holes before recording his first birdie at No. 13, a 516-yard par 5.
Cook’s drive from the top of a hill left him with about 210 yards to the hole. He hit a 4-iron to 25 feet, lagged his putt to 2 feet and knocked in the putt.
The birdie gave Cook a boost of confidence, especially with the driver. It followed a bad drive on the hole before, but Cook was still able to make par. In fact, Cook felt the driver was working for him all day.
“I feel like I only hit two bad drives all day and they really didn’t hurt me at all because I made par on both of them,” he said. “It started with the driver and it was just getting my approach shots close because I am generally not a good putter.”
Cook’s second birdie was at No. 5, a 471-yard hole. Cook’s drive again left him with about 204 yards to the hole, and his uphill approach landed short of the green. Cook’s bump-and-run chip stopped at 2 feet and he tapped in the putt.
Tanner said he talked to his older brother Tyler, a former Blue Mountain golfer, on what score he needed to shoot Monday to win the title. Both turned out to be right on the money.
“We said 75 was the number,” Tanner said. “That what I shot.”
Boys’ golf results
Schuylkill League Individual
Boys’ Golf Championships
At Hidden Valley Golf Course, Friedensburg
Par: 72; Yardage: 5,924
Monday’s results
Tanner Cook, Blue Mountain 38-37—75
Bailey Sophy, Blue Mountain 40-36—76
Mike O’Pake, Pottsville 38-39—77
Albert McFadden, Marian 40-38—78
Hunter Mickatavage, North Schuylkill 35-44—79
Austin Boyer, Blue Mountain 39-42—81
Jordan Donmoyer, North Schuylkill 39-42—81
Noah Noon, Mahanoy Area 44-37—81
Evan Salamone, Lourdes 41-41—82
Tyler Coyle, Nativity 41-42—83
Mike DeColli, Pottsville 41-42—83
Mike Latoff, Marian 39-44—83
Jacob Artz, Nativity 41-43—84
Jarod Paisley, Marian 44-40—84
Luke Reiter, Pine Grove 44-40—84
Austin Raup, North Schuylkill 44-42—86
Alex Everly, Pottsville 43-43—86
Michael Wollyung, Nativity 44-42—86
David Leymeister, Pottsville 46-42—88
Carson Schoener, Tamaqua 44-44—88
Nick Kurzinsky, Marian 45-45—90
Thomas Schultz, Lourdes 44-46—90
Brandon Hueston, Pine Grove 46-45—91
Trey Macieunas, Mahanoy Area 48-43—91
Kevin DiLorenzo, Blue Mountain 47-46—93
Luke Figas, Weatherly 45-49—94
Hunter Johns, Pottsville 52-42—94
Josh Jacavage, Mahanoy Area 54-42—96
Cody Semmel, Lehighton 51-47—98
Walter Kalinoski, Lourdes 56-44—100
Jameson Lapp, Pine Grove 49-51—100
Tavio Agosti, Tamaqua 53-50—103
Kyle Osifat, Weatherly 52-53—105
Carter Wolfe, Jim Thorpe 53-53—106
Chris Micciche, Jim Thorpe 55-54—109
Danny Eggert, Jim Thorpe 56-61—117
Ryan Frederickson, Tamaqua 53-65—118
Nick McGeehan, Lehighton 67-53—120
Devin Berger, Weatherly 64-56—120