Lawrence golfers start strong at 6A state boys tournament
Four Lawrence-area golfers opened the 6A state tournament inside the top 50, and Free State’s Henry Thompson and A.J. Kimzey finished in the top 20 at Firekeeper.
Four Lawrence-area golfers put themselves in the mix at the Kansas Class 6A boys state golf tournament, and two Free State players turned that early position into top-20 finishes at Firekeeper Golf Course in Mayetta.
After the first round, A.J. Kimzey and Henry Thompson were tied for 32nd after each shot five over par, while Lawrence High’s Jackson Lind and Corbin May-Bryant were tied for 46th after both carding 79s. That meant four local players started inside the top 50 of a state field that also had Shawnee Mission East and Blue Valley North locked in a tight battle at the top after each school opened at even-par 288.
The opening round mattered because it gave Lawrence and Free State a chance to measure themselves against the best programs in Kansas. Free State was 12th in the team standings after day one with a 328 total, while Lawrence’s lineup also included Cash Nelson, Raleigh Jeter, Andrew Kirkwood and David Rodish, showing the depth behind the two players who cracked the first-page leaderboard. KSHSAA scheduled the two-day championship for May 26-27, with tee times at 8:30 a.m. on the first day and 10 a.m. on the second.
By the time the final scores were posted, the local picture had sharpened. Free State finished ninth as a team with a 357, while Lawrence did not field enough players for a team score and was listed as NTS. Thompson climbed into a tie for 15th at 150 over two rounds, and Kimzey finished tied for 20th at 152, the only Lawrence-area players to end inside the top 20. Lind and May-Bryant finished outside the medal range.
The state title chase ended with Shawnee Mission East at 586, ahead of Olathe Northwest at 591 and Blue Valley North at 594. Blue Valley North’s Drew Krystyn won the individual championship at 140, with Shawnee Mission East’s Charlie Haney one shot back in the co-runner-up spot.
For Free State, the tournament also pointed to what comes next. Thompson said he felt good going in, battled through the event and signed with Washburn University to continue his golf career. Kimzey said putting would be his summer focus as he tried to get more college programs interested. In a field this deep, that second day at Firekeeper separated the locals who merely started fast from the ones who could finish among the state’s best.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
