Brady Marshall, Keaton Simpson and Owen Marshall of Seymour and Brayton Hattabaugh of Brownstown are in different stages of their golf careers, but what they had in common this summer was playing their sport as often as they could.
Brady Marshall recently graduated from University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne, Hattabaugh is entering his junior year at Indiana University Kokomo, Simpson completed his sophomore year at John A. Logan College in Carterville, Illinois, and Owen Marshall is entering his senior year at Seymour High School.
The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted play in the spring, but they have played quite a bit this summer.
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Brady Marshall said St. Francis played in five events last fall.
“This past fall, I played in the No. 2 or No. 3 slot on our team,” he said. “None of the spring events were able to be played. We were just starting up outdoor practices when COVID-19 hit.”
The Cougars played all of the fall matches on the road.
“This past year, we didn’t play a match on our home course (Brookwood Golf Club).” he said. “We played five or six two-day events, so we were on the road in the fall.”
Marshall averaged 77.8 with a low score of 69 that he posted in the Bethel Invitational at Blackthorn Golf Course in South Bend.
He played on two PGA courses during his college career, Whistling Straits in Koehler, Wisconsin, and TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, where the St. Jude’s Classic is played.
“I like the road trips and courses we played, and it is something I’ll always remember,” Marshall said.
At St. Francis, he earned academic all-conference honors.
His sister, Bridget, will begin her college career at St. Francis this fall and plans on playing golf there.
“I hope she enjoys it and has an experience of her own,” Brady said.
Hattabaugh was looking forward to completing his sophomore season at Indiana University Kokomo when the virus interfered. He was switching between playing No. 4 and No. 5 for the Cougars and played in two events in the fall.
In his second match, the Cougars played Indiana University East at Richmond and shot a 78.
“I played well,” he said of that round.
IU Kokomo’s home course is Wildcat Creek.
“It’s a really nice course. I try to go to the range as much as I can.” Hattabaugh said, adding it is par 72 and his lowest score there is a 74 shot in practice.
He said the highlight of his freshman year was playing in a tournament at TPC Southwind in Memphis.
Hattabaugh said what he enjoys about college golf is his teammates.
“The top players on the team are very good. It has been a good experience,” he said.
At Brownstown Central High School, Hattabaugh was all-Mid-Southern Conference for three years, and his highest finish in the MSC tournament at Wooded View Golf Course in Clarksville was third his senior year. He played in two sectionals.
Hattabaugh stayed in Kokomo this summer to take classes and he has a job. He is majoring in sports and recreation management.
“I need to work a lot on my mental game, but consistency is my major problem right now,” Hattabaugh said of his golf status. “The strongest part of my game is my short game. My putting has been a big improvement. When I came to Kokomo, that was my worst. My coach worked with me.”
Simpson said he enjoyed playing at John A. Logan the past two years.
“I battled for No. 1,” he said. “I played No. 1 or No. 2. My best score was a 69 at Hermitage Country Club in Nashville, Tennessee. I had a lot of top 10s and a few top fives. My freshman year, I was a normal player, and then my sophomore year, I was voted team captain.”
The virus pandemic halting play this spring was tough.
“This spring, we were on track to do good things,” Simpson said. “We put a lot of work in during the winter, a lot of conditioning and things, and we were getting better, and then due to things we couldn’t control, we were unable to play this spring.”
Simpson said he is looking to continue college golf this fall after finishing up at two-year John A. Logan.
“This fall, it depends on the COVID stuff and what the colleges do,” he said. “I’ve been in contact with coaches from a college on the East Coast, one from Mississippi and a few out west.”
Simpson said the college experience has been amazing.
“I enjoyed the family atmosphere and my teammates and coaches,” he said. “If it wasn’t for (Seymour coach Jim) Hoffman, none of this would have happened.”
Brady and Bridget’s cousin, Owen Marshall, also has kept busy playing in IGA and Premier Golf events.
Owen would have been a member of the Seymour High School golf team in the spring, but all spring sports were canceled because of the pandemic.
He placed ninth in the Boys Indiana Age Group Championships at French Lick and 23rd in the Boys Indiana State Junior Championships. He qualified for match play and won his first-round match.
Owen put a lot of effort into Premier Golf events and placed third in one qualifier at Otter Creek in Columbus and shot 77-70 in another qualifier at Hickory Stick in Greenwood recently.
He played another tournament in late July in Franklin but said he is pausing until October when he will resume playing IGA competition.
“It’s another opportunity to play in a couple more tournaments,” he said. “I’ve been practicing a lot at Shadowood and Otter Creek.”
He said the par 5s on the front nine are shorter than the par 5s on the back nine.
“I play Otter Creek once or twice a week,” Owen said. “It’s a little harder than Shadowood and tests your skills a little more. What I like about golf is it’s in my own hands. I don’t have to rely on anybody else to go out and put their best score together. My iron play is probably the most consistent part of my game.”