Eagles’ Arnold attacks Prairie Vista course, sits tied for 10th after first round at state

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The difference between where Blake Arnold is and where he’d like to be can be measured by the distance of the putts he missed.

He knows it’s not as far as it seems.

The Liberty junior had four birdie putts inside of 5 feet miss the mark, saddling him with a 3-over 75 and a tie for 10th place following Friday’s first round of the Class 1A boys state golf tournament at Prairie Vista Golf Course.

“I was giving myself great looks for birdie,” said Arnold, who is looking to become the first Liberty golfer to ever medal at the state tourney. “I just couldn’t get anything to fall.”

Arnold sits four strokes out of the top three as Vandalia’s Chase Laack and Rockridge’s Drew Hall share the lead at 2-under 70 with Grant Park’s Trey Boeker in third at 1-under 71. Had any of Arnold’s short birdie putts dropped, he could have stayed closer to the top.

Still, he knows if he can duplicate the way he hit the ball tee to green he can climb right back into the mix.

“I approach it the same way I did today, maybe a little more aggressive,” Arnold said. “Just go out and play my game again.”

Arnold hit 16 greens in regulation, and aside from one wayward tee shot, avoided trouble.

“I didn’t get in any bad spots where I was like, ‘What do I do here?’” Arnold said.

After a delayed start to the day because of fog, Arnold gave himself a boost when he drove the green on the 322-yard, par-4 second hole and two-putted for birdie. He followed a double bogey on the sixth hole with a birdie on the par-5 seventh hole and made the turn at even par.

“I was feeling good,” Arnold said.

He played the back nine in 3-over 39, taking a double bogey on the par-4 14th hole when his tee shot found the water.

“I don’t like that tee shot,” Arnold said.

He only has to hit it one more time, and if he can navigate it dry, he might be in position to lock down a state medal.

“I’m just going to go play,” said Arnold, who tees off at 9:06 a.m.

At the Class 3A state tournament at the Den at Fox Creek Golf Course, Quincy High School sophomore Gabriel Gold fired a 6-over 78 and sits in a tie for 64th. Gold opened his round on the back nine and made the turn at even-par 36. Two double bogeys on his final nine holes kept him from challenging for a top-20 finish at the end of the first round.

Gold will tee off at 8:48 a.m. Saturday.