Gibson finds his game on day 2, becomes All-Ohioan

Garaway sophomore Trace Gibson took a page out of a former Garaway All-Ohioan’s playbook when he teed it up at NorthStar Golf Course for the Div. III boys state golf tournament Oct. 14-15.

Much like Brevin Weaver did several years prior, Gibson pushed aside a tough first 18 holes, collected himself on day two and fired off a 75, one of only five scores at 75 or under, to land in seventh place as an individual, making him a second-team All-Ohioan.

While this turnaround wasn’t as dramatic as Weaver’s 71 on the heels of an 83 in 2017, it was an exhibition of great golf from a young man who is only a sophomore.

In fashioning the second-day 75, Gibson showed the poise and maturity of a seasoned veteran senior. Mix in the fact that this was his first appearance at the state tournament, and it makes for some impressive scoring.

His head coach Mikayla Johnson said there were two major factors in the big turnaround. First was day one wind gusts that roared up to 40 mph at times, making quality golf shots difficult.

However, more importantly, the second factor was simply a matter of returning to the form that got him to where he was.

“He went back to being more aggressive early on day two, and that settled him into returning to his game,” Johnson said. “All of a sudden, he had that Trace Gibson confidence that wasn’t there on day one. He was playing conservative and trying not to make mistakes. He didn’t hit the ball poorly on day one. It just wasn’t the same Trace we’ve seen this season.”

Day two saw him attack early and get rolling. While being aggressive at NorthStar can result in trouble, Gibson confidently went to work, playing the game he was used to playing, going after pins, attacking holes and charging hard.

The result saw him standing on the podium at the end of the tournament, along with the nine other All-Ohioans who earned a spot on stage.

Only a sophomore, it would have been easy for the first-time state qualifier to head to state and be happy with being there, accepting it as a learning experience for the coming two seasons. Johnson said that simply isn’t the way Gibson is built.

“His mentality is not only to go play, but to compete and become an All-Ohioan,” Johnson said. “We tried not to stress that, instead focusing on playing his game, posting a good score and letting everything else fall where it may, but Trace isn’t one to back down from a challenge, even though he is only a sophomore.”

She said Gibson set the goal of becoming an All-Ohioan from the start and never wavered in accepting that challenge. She said if he didn’t attain that goal, he wouldn’t look at it as a failure, but rather as an opportunity to learn from his mistakes and grow and improve as a player.

“He plays with incredible purpose,” Johnson said.

She said now that one goal has been achieved, even bigger ones will come. She said Gibson has just scratched the surface of how good he could be, and he understands what needs to take place as he moves along in his golf career, changes that will help him develop his game and take it to a higher plain.

For now he will bask in the afterglow of an accomplishment that secures his spot among the all-time greats of Garaway’s illustrious golf program. The only thing yet to be explored is just how high up that ladder he climbs.