10 CLASS 6A BOYS GOLFERS TO WATCH IN 2024
Blue Valley's James Ackerman
JAMES ACKERMAN, BLUE VALLEY
Ackerman returns for his senior season looking to close out a storied career alongside fellow Class of 2024 golfer and teammate Chance Rinkol. Ackerman and Rinkol were both members of the back-to-back 6A championship teams during their first two years of high school golf. While Rinkol led the way during their freshman year with his individual state title, it was Ackerman with the best score for the Tigers in 2022. He shot a 144 to finish third that year. Last year, it was just Ackerman and Rinkol at state as Blue Valley did not qualify as a team. While Rinkol ended up losing a playoff to finish as state runner-up, Ackerman sat five strokes back of his teammate with a 143 score to finish tied for eighth.
Blue Valley West's Parker Bennett
PARKER BENNETT, BLUE VALLEY WEST
As a freshman last season, Bennett nearly found himself in a situation that most young golfers only dream of. Bennett finished last year’s 6A state meet just one stroke from joining Shawnee Mission East’s Thomas Gogel and Blue Valley’s Chance Rinkol in a playoff for an individual state championship. Instead Bennett finished third with a 140, just one stroke ahead of a pair of Olathe West golfers. Bennett averaged a 74.5 last season with a low round of 66. Now he’ll return as a sophomore looking to get the Jaguars back to winning team trophies after last year’s fourth-place finish ended the team’s two-year run of bringing home hardware. The Jaguars finished as state runner-ups in 2021 and 2022.
Derby's Jaydon Carruthers
JAYDON CARRUTHERS, DERBY
Carruthers, a senior, scattered big moments throughout the 2023 season, from firing a 9-under 63 at the season-opening Bishop Carroll Invitational to leading Derby to its first regional title in 21 years. The left-hander led the Panthers to four tournament victories and ended his season with a tie for 15
th individually in the Class 6A tournament at Newton’s Sand Creek. Carruthers tied for ninth at state as a sophomore after claiming regional medalist honors with a 68 and a playoff victory at Terradyne in Andover.
Blue Valley West's Ty Lasley
TY LASLEY, BLUE VALLEY WEST
Lasley returns for his senior season looking to become a three-time medalist, but also return to the top-10 for the first time since his freshman campaign. Lasley shot a 147 at last year’s 6A state tournament to finish 20th. Of course, he was also just three strokes away from a top-10 finish as there was a four-way tie for that spot, as well as a five-way tie for 15th at 146. The state field was so crowded that the pack one stroke ahead of him included a previous 6A state champion in his then-senior teammate Carson Baker. Lasley finished in 27th at state during his sophomore season. Lasley is still chasing his best state performance from his freshman year when he shot 154 to finish tied for eighth. Lasley is still capable of finishing at the top against strong competition, having won multiple tournaments last season. He averaged a 73.5 with low-round 66.
Blue Valley North's Brady Rapp
BRADY RAPP, BLUE VALLEY NORTH
Rapp got his high school career started on the right foot with his performances last season, particularly at the 6A state tournament. Rapp shot a 142 to tie for sixth place as a freshman. Rapp is still looking for his first career victory, but his stats of a 74.5 average for the season and a low round of 70 makes him a young golfer to keep an eye on in a crowded 6A field.
Blue Valley's Chance Rinkol
CHANCE RINKOL, BLUE VALLEY
Rinkol has one more shot to add to his already impressive haul over three seasons of high school golf. Rinkol won the state championship as a freshman, leading his team to the first of two straight team titles. Last year, it was just Rinkol and Ackerman as the team did not qualify for state. Rinkol nearly won the state title again by storming back during the second day to tie Shawnee Mission East’s Thomas Gogel for first place at 138, only for Gogel to win the playoff and send Rinkol home with a state runner-up finish. As a sophomore, Rinkol finished eight strokes back of the state champion that year as his 150 score put him in a seven-way tie for ninth.
Garden City's Maddix Shook
MADDIX SHOOK, GARDEN CITY
Shook put together an impressive sophomore campaign, capturing five tournament titles -- Hays, Great Bend, Garden City, the I-135 Shootout at Newton and Hesston, and the 6A regional at Dodge City. Shook placed eighth at state last year with a 143. His season average was 72 with a low-round of 65 at Hesston. As a freshman, his average was 74 with a low of 68.
Olathe South's Tyler Strong
TYLER STRONG, OLATHE SOUTH
Strong finished tied for 21st with his two-day score of 148. He previously finished 15th as a freshman and 16th as a sophomore. Strong won two tournaments last year, along with a pair of runner-up finishes and a pair of third-place finishes. He averaged a 73.6 for the season while shooting a 69 for the second time in his career by hitting that mark during regionals. Strong will try to lead his team back to state, and hopefully past the first day this time. The Falcons finished seven strokes back of cracking the top six teams to stay in contention as a team last year.
Olathe West's Myles Tarvin
MYLES TARVIN, OLATHE WEST
Tarvin is definitely entering his senior season with something to prove after his finish to last season. Tarvin averaged a 73.5 last year with a low round of 67, which he earned as he won a regional title. With two other top-3 finishes and seven total tournaments where he finished in the top 10 against some of the best competition in the state, Tarvin hoped to build off his ninth place finish from the year before, as well as his 11th-place finish as a freshman. Instead, Tarvin had a tough outing on Day 1 of state as he finished with a 78. His 73 on Day 2 was only good enough to put him in a tie for 28th. Despite his own personal setback, it looked like Tarvin might be able to get past that with how his team performed. That is, until finding out that the Owls’ tie with Shawnee Mission East for the best team score ended with the tiebreaker advantage of the fifth golfer for each team breaking the Lancers' way. Now Tarvin will try to return to the top 10 and possibly get Olathe West over the hump to win a state championship as a team.
Olathe West's Bennett Warren
BENNETT WARREN, OLATHE WEST
Warren shot a 140 to tie his teammate Nicklaus Nickloy for fourth place at last year’s 6A state tournament. Warren made the most of his sophomore campaign as he earned three top-3 finishes, including winning the Siler Memorial invite at Lawrence Country Club. He averaged 76.3 for the year with a low round of 68, which he had on Day 2 of the state tournament. As a freshman, Warren shot a 153 at state to finished tied for 23rd. Warren helped lead the Owls to a state runner-up finish last year, only missing out on the state title by losing a tiebreaker to Shawnee Mission East for the top spot.