Union’s Gruher holds on for 4A district golf title

RIDGEFIELD — It was getting close.

Real close.

Ben Gruher found his lead down to one shot for the final two holes of the Class 4A District 4 boys golf tournament.

An up-and-down par save on No. 17 and another par on No. 18 did the trick, though.

Sure, it got close, but Gruher never lost his lead.

Gruher, a sophomore from Union, held off defending district champion Brian Humphreys to win the tournament Tuesday at Tri-Mountain Golf Course.

Gruher recorded a 73 in the second round, following his opening round 70, giving him a two-day total of 143. Humphreys fired a 70 on Tuesday after a 74 on Monday to finish at even-par 144.

“I feel like I’ve been really close, but I haven’t had a victory in a real long time. It feels great to finally have a breakthrough,” Gruher said.

Both players were just off the green after their second shots on the par 5 18th hole. Gruher, in fact, short-sided himself, leaving a difficult pitch over a bunker and to a small patch of green where the hole was.

“I was concerned about it. It was a pretty tough one. I had to hit it higher than I would have liked, and that’s a lot harder to do when your heart is racing,” Gruher said.

Gruher, though, put his ball in good spot.

Humphreys, on the other hand, had a lot of green to work with but left his chip short of a ridge on the green.

“I didn’t take advantage of my position there,” Humphreys said.

He missed his long birdie putt, giving Gruher two putts to win the tournament.

“It’s not a situation I’ve been in a ton,” Gruher said. “I know Brian really well. We’ve played thousands of rounds together. We’re really good friends. But it was very intense.”

Humphreys made a 25-foot birdie on No. 16 to put the pressure on Gruher.

“For the most part, I was happy with the round,” Humphreys said.

He did not make enough putts, though — No. 16 excepted.

“It wasn’t my day on the greens,” he said.

Humphreys finished second at district as a freshman, then won the Class 4A state tournament in the spring of 2013. He won the district title last school year and finished tied for second at state.

Gruher’s win also helped Union to its fifth consecutive district team title. Eddie Abellar tied for third and Cason Boyce finished in a tie for fifth to help the Titans to 180 points. Skyview finished second at 177. Camas was third at 166.

Allocations for the state tournament, which will be in May, have not been determined.

Gruher knows he is going back to state.

“I didn’t have the best experience last year with how poorly I played,” he said. “I want to be competitive. I hope to get my game in the best shape possible. I think I’m a lot better than last year.”