Dillon finishes 11th at state to earn second straight medal

Louisburg sophomore Calvin Dillon watches a tee shot during the Class 4A state golf tournament on May 19 in Emporia. Dillon carded a 74 to finish 11th overall and earned a state medal.

 

EMPORIA – All season, Calvin Dillon had been atop or near the front of leaderboard and that didn’t change in what was his biggest tournament of the season.

The Louisburg High School sophomore went up against the state’s best during the Class 4A state golf tournament on May 19 at the Emporia Municipal Course and did more than old his own. Dillon earned a state medal as he finished 11^th overall with a 3-over par 74.

It was the second consecutive state medal for Dillon after he finished 10^th overall last season at Wamego as a freshman.

“It is a real honor to earn another state medal, especially with the quality players that were at the state tournament,” Dillon said. “There were lots of good players and lots of good teams.”

Andover Central’s Keegan Ellington won the tournament with a 2-under 69 and Dillon’s cousin, Thomas Dillon, shot a 1-under 70 for Wamego to finish in second.

Calvin Dillon finished in a 6-way tie for ninth and had to play four playoff holes to determine placing and eventually settled for 11^th.

Dillon opened the tournament with a pair of birdies on his first two holes to begin the day at 2-under and used that good start to his advantage throughout the competition.

“The two birdies really gave me a lot of confidence throughout the round,” Dillon said. “Whenever I got into trouble I reverted my thoughts back to the first two holes and remembered that I just needed to play smart, and good golf would come after that.”

He would go on to bogey two holes to finish his first nine holes at even par, but struggled on the first three holes on the back nine as he recorded a bogey on each, before getting a birdie to get back on track.

“I feel like I played well, especially early in the round,” Dillon said. “I was putting very well and got off to a hot start, but started encountering some trouble when my tee ball didn’t hit the fairway. The course was very nice, but challenging if you did not hit fairways.”

That was the case in Dillon’s final hole, as his tee shot landed several feet in front of a group of trees. Dillon was able to put his next shot over the trees in what was a challenging shot that put him near the green, and was able to par the hole.

That shot helped him stay in contention for a top-10 placing and secured another state medal. It was another notch on Dillon’s list of accomplishments that included a Frontier League title and six straight tournament victories.

“It was an amazing season and I am proud of everything I accomplished,” he said. “I really enjoyed the team chemistry we built this year as well as the player-coach relationships.”

Dillon’s high school season may be over, but golf is far from being in his rear-view mirror. He recently traveled to Georgia to compete in the Amateur Junior Golf Association preview tournament for players playing in their first AJGA event.

He shot a 70 and finished seventh overall in the tournament that featured players from all over the United States and some international players, as well.

Dillon also has a busy five days with three tournaments this week, including an appearance in the Kansas City Junior Championship and the Konza Prairie Amateur at Colbert Hills in Manhattan.

“I definitely have a lot of events scheduled,” Dillon said. “It will be a very busy, but fun summer of competitive golf.”