State News

Today on MetroNews This Morning:

–Leadership of the WV First Foundation begins the groundwork for distribution of opioid settlement funds

–Republican leaders start to bind up the wounds of a rough and tumble primary election

–World class bicycle racing through the streets of Charleston

–In Sports: the West Virginia SSAC modifies a couple of key features of high school basketball and football

Listen to “MetroNews This Morning 5-17-24” on Spreaker.

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Huntington Mayor Steve Williams and Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott may feel a breeze lifting them up following Tuesday’s Primary Election. Both Democrats won their races:  Williams was unopposed in the race for his party’s gubernatorial nomination and Elliott received 45 percent of the vote in a three-person race to win the U.S. Senate nomination.

But as the reality of the upcoming General Election settles in, both Williams and Elliott will find that the breeze they are feeling is more of a headwind. Each faces long odds in November—Williams vs. Republican nominee Attorney General Patrick Morrisey for Governor and Elliott against Republican Governor Jim Justice for U.S. Senate.

Elliott is a bigger long-shot because Justice is a dominant political figure. Republican Representative Alex Mooney could manage only 27 percent of the vote against 61 percent for Justice. Williams also begins as an underdog because Morrisey just won a statewide race, and Republicans have a growing registration advantage—40 percent to 30 percent, with the remaining 30 percent independents/no party or third party.

Both Elliott and Williams need some version of the 1996 General Election in West Virginia to have a chance, meaning they need help from the other party. That year, the Democratic nominee was Charlotte Pritt who squared off against the Republican nominee and former Governor Cecil Underwood.

Back then, Democrats had a significant registration advantage, and Pritt had momentum coming off a victory over Joe Manchin in the Primary Election. If voters had stuck with their party’s nominee, Pritt would have won easily. Additionally, Democrat Bill Clinton was running for re-election and he was assured of carrying West Virginia again, providing strength at the top of the ticket.

Early in the campaign, Pritt led Underwood by 22 points.

However, many of the state’s more conservative and pro-business Democrats were terrified that Pritt, who was very liberal and pro-labor, would win. They formed a Democrats for Underwood group to support the Republican. Leading Democratic politicians, including Senator Robert Byrd and former Governor Gaston Caperton provided only generic endorsements of “the Democratic nominee.”

On Election Day, thousands of Democrats voted for Clinton and then crossed over to vote for Underwood, who won the election with 52 percent of the vote, compared with 46 percent for Pritt.

In 2024, Williams and Elliott also need party defections to have a chance, only this time it would be Republicans crossing over to vote for Democratic candidates. That is a tall order, especially since Donald Trump will be at the top of the ticket and he is more popular here than Clinton was.

It is unlikely that as many Republicans will flip in 2024 as Democrats did in 1996. The circumstances are not exactly analogous, but the strategy holds true; when you are in the minority and an underdog, you need help wherever you can find it.

In the case of Williams and Elliott, that help must come from Republicans.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. —  West Virginia GOP gubernatorial nominee, state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is calling for unity behind his fall election campaign for governor.

Morrisey made the call in a Thursday night post on X.

“With the primary behind us, I am asking Republicans, Independents, and Democrats to join our efforts to oppose Biden’s monstrous overreach and help our state reach her potential,” Morrisey wrote. “Whether you were with Moore Capito, Mac Warner, or Chris Miller in the primary, we need to unite and defeat the folks who want to get rid of our jobs and our energy resources. My opponents were tough and fought hard in the arena— they were an impressive group of folks.

Morrisey also mentioned the battle against fentanyl and “crazy woke policies.”

With the primary behind us, I am asking Republicans, Independents, and Democrats to join our efforts to oppose Biden’s monstrous overreach and help our state reach her potential.

Whether you were with Moore Capito, Mac Warner, or Chris Miller in the primary, we need to unite…

— Patrick Morrisey (@MorriseyWV) May 17, 2024

The post came a few hours after U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, whose son Moore Capito lost to Morrisey, was asked about the election.

“It’s not easy to lose, and our son is learning that himself, and as his mother, I’m learning that myself,” Capito said during her Thursday media briefing. ” But he should be very proud of his efforts, as we are.”

Moore Capito finished second to Morrisey.

Senator Capito gave a general response in her support for Morrisey in the fall election against Democrat Party nominee, Huntington Mayor Steve Williams.

“I am the leader of the Republican Party and will be supporting the Republican ticket, so let’s just see what happens in November,” Capito said.

Meanwhile, Capito was very clear on who she thought the next U.S. Senator from West Virginia would be.

“I welcome Governor Justice as the Republican nominee for Senate and the eventual winner,” Capito said. “There is no doubt in mind that Governor Justice is exceedingly popular.”

Justice will face Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott in the U.S. Senate race.

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The new director of the West Virginia First Foundation laid out a broad vision to move forward with the possibilities and responsibilities of the foundation that was established to distribute millions of dollars in opioid litigation money.

“We are in the process of standing up a multi-hundred-million dollar organization from the ether,” Jonathan Board said Thursday afternoon at the first meeting of the foundation since he officially started in the director’s position.

“A lot of incredible work has gone into it thus far; a lot of incredible work is yet to be done.”

Board, a Marion County resident who has been vice president of external affairs at Mon Health, was named to the director’s role on March 14. In response to a question by reporter Caity Coyne at the conclusion of today’s foundation meeting, officials disclosed that Board will be making $230,000 annually.

Matt Harvey, president of the foundation board, said the original advertisement for the director’s position included a range of $230,000 to $300,000. He said the process included comparisons for other executive directors in same sector showed salaries that “were rather high.” In the end, Harvey said, negotiations led to the $230,000 pay rate.

Now, Board said the foundation needs to lay the groundwork for success. In response to questions from board members, he said the foundation will have a $30 million outlay this year for projects meant to aid the state’s recovery from the opioid epidemic.

The state will have about $1 billion following a number of lawsuits against distributors, wholesalers and pharmacies. The money is still coming in. Through the end of last month, according to the foundation, there was $222,344,005 in bank accounts.

The “West Virginia First Memorandum of Understanding” lays out the terms for the state and the many counties and cities that may receive a portion of settlement dollars to push back against ongoing drug addiction issues.

A major portion of the millions of dollars, 72.5 percent, goes to the private, nonstock, nonprofit Opioid Foundation, which will now distribute the funding for work toward abating the opioid epidemic in communities around the state.

Board described a vision for building out a staff to oversee that work, establishing a physical headquarters and gathering for a June 4 in-person workshop for members of the foundation.

A possible organizational chart could include positions like a chief financial officer, a chief marketing officer, a chief administrative officer, project manager and more. He said the organization needs to be capable of carrying out its mission.

“We exist because, sadly, folks suffered and many died. So rather than take this as a blase attitude, we want to bring in the best and the brightest. We absolutely must,” Board said.

“It is incumbent upon us, if we are going to generationally change the state and the way we’re handling this problem that we bring in the very best. It doesn’t mean that we need to be overly heavy on our hiring side, but certainly we need those folks that are top tier operators.”

Asked by MetroNews if there’s an estimate for personnel costs, Harvey said there is not yet.

“The organizational chart is not one that we formally adopted. It’s more of a guide of how foundations are set up and some of the areas of expertise that are needed to run it. I don’t know if all those positions will eventually exist, but they are certainly areas that we need. We may find an employee that can cover two of those positions. So the budget going forward on personnel hasn’t been developed yet.”

Board said the search is underway for a foundation headquarters.

“In this state, like most states, we’ve done a really good job of seating government in one spot. But we are decidedly not government; we’re private. And we’ve sent a strong message to a lot of West Virginians: ‘Come to us.’ I would like to send a message that we’re going to go to you. So that’s sort of leading my thought in how we approach this,” Board said.

Board members agreed to gather June 4 for a workshop.

“It is going to be very important that we do this. There are going to be several elements to the startup and the standup that are going to require that we have a good handle on some of these issues,” Board said.

The foundation also introduced a new board member, Jon Dower, who is replacing Board after his resignation from being a board member to serve as the director.

Dower is the executive director for West Virginia Sober Living and the director of recovery services for Ascension Recovery Services. He also serves on the Governor’s Task Force on Substance Misuse and Prevention as the chair of the Recovery Subcommittee.

“I’m a person in long-term recovery from opioid use disorder, so this kind of board is special to my heart with a little over a dozen years of recovery,” Dower told board members today.

“What’s important to me is that I give back. My life has been one of service, and I feel that being on this board is another service,” he said.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Kanawha County Board of Education has agreed to enter into a contract with a construction company to begin making upgrades to Laidley Field in Charleston in preparation for the state football championship games next Fall.

Renovations will be made to the University of Charleston Stadium press box and concession areas starting in mid-June. The lowest responsible bidder, Swope Construction, will conduct the work for a total of $2.875 million.

Andrew Crawford, Facilities Planning Executive Director for Kanawha County, said there’s already been progress made on the locker rooms.

“The north side is getting very close to complete,” he said. “We’ve been epoxying floors, repairing roofs and hanging new doors and frames.”

Old lockers have been thrown out. Crawford said the new lockers should be arriving sometime in July. The south side will get attention after work on the north side section is complete.

The WVSSAC Football Championships will return to Charleston and be there for at least the next three years. The City of Wheeling had hosted the state championship games since 1994.

The WVSSAC Board of Directors granted final approval to the City of Charleston back in February. The city had the winning bid among other proposals that included Wheeling Island Stadium, Bluefield’s Mitchell Stadium, and a combined bid from Huntington’s Joan C. Edwards Stadium and Morgantown’s Milan Puskar Stadium.

Paving is expected to begin sometime between June 16 and August 1 at Laidley Field. Crawford said June 16 is also the earliest start date for crews. Minor work may still be done by crews on site into August, but an estimated date for when the facility will be made functional is for around August 9.

The main parking lot will also be repaired. Areas underneath the bleachers will be resealed according to Crawford.

UC Stadium is the home to the Capital High School football teams. Crawford said work at Laidley shouldn’t affect Capital football practices and the facility should be ready for sure by the first game in August.

Laidley Field also hosts the WVSSAC Track and Field Championships.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — USA Cycling’s criterium racing on Thursday on the streets of Downtown Charleston was a huge hit and is returning Friday.

Competitors from both Men’s and Women’s Junior and the U-23 Men competed in Thursday’s “crit racing” as part of this week’s schedule of events with the USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships. Women U-23, Elite and Men Elite will hit the roads Friday afternoon for crit racing.

Junior Women kicked things off with a 45 minute looped race that included passes on Court Street, Summers Street and to the start-finish line on Kanawha Boulevard. Landrie McLain was the first to the line in that race against 25 other competitors.

Junior Men followed with a 60 minute run of the downtown course. Alejandro Che came out victorious in a race with over 70 cyclists.

In the nightcap, Men U-23 ran an hour and 15 minutes under the lights with Gavin Hlady finishing ahead of everyone which was also about 70 athletes.

President of the Charleston Convention & Visitor’s Bureau Tim Brady said the atmosphere downtown with the hundreds of fans in attendance to watch the cycling was something special.

“It’s just fun to see the city of Charleston embrace something like this that’s new,” he said.

This is just year one with USA Cycling. The city will have this week of events for the next four years too. Brady said they’re loving what they’re seeing this year so far.

“That’s our goal, to make this bigger and better every year,” said Brady. “You figure out where the kinks are in year one and then make it better for year two and so on.”

Every closed-off street was packed with fans Thursday. Some were there to support certain racers. Others were just Charleston residents excited to be downtown to witness a unique event to the city. Charleston resident Tom Gibbs was one of those.

“I am so happy this is here,” he said while watching from Summers Street.

Tom, a casual biker himself, said he usually watches any and all types of bike races on TV, so to see bike racing in action in his hometown was a joy to him.

Another Charleston local, Rick Hardesin, said he’s no stranger to watching criterium races in person.

“I had seen a criterium years ago and so when I saw that this was coming I thought I better come out,” he said.

Hardesin said he was proud of the city for bringing an event like this to Charleston.

Saturday and Sunday will feature all groups participating in the road race. Men U-23 will be the first to compete on the 148 km course at 7 a.m. Saturday.

The rest of the schedule for the USA Cycling Pro Road Nationals can be found here.

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— Story by Daniel Woods

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. — Cliches of old says that 13 is an unlucky number but it brought more than just luck to the Washington Patriots on Thursday night with Chloe Constantino striking out her 13th batter and retiring her 13th consecutive hitter for the final out, sending her team to next week’s state softball tournament with an 8-1 win over Musselman. 

Hear how Washington clinched its first trip to the state tournament since 2021 with the highlights right here! #wvprepsb https://t.co/AmcJ2iPZwa pic.twitter.com/sgaFeQkmHR

— Panhandle Sports Live! – Panhandle News Network (@EPSportsNetwork) May 17, 2024

Constantino proved nearly untouchable in the Class AAA Region II championship series clincher, allowing just five base runners in a complete game performance that gives Washington its first regional title since 2021. 

“She’s just a workhorse,” Washington head coach Amanda Orkoskey said, “She can lock in and can just completely do what she’s got to do out there so that’s what we need and we’re definitely looking forward to seeing what we can do with her in the state tournament because she’s been great in the circle for us this year.”

After defeating Musselman by a 6-1 score on Monday, two days worth of rain delays denied the Patriots an opportunity to seal the three-game series on their home field until Thursday. 

With that anticipation in mind, the tone was set quickly with Constantino striking out the side in the first and Washington posting a crooked number in the second. 

Anna Sedlock and Taylor Decker reached with a walk and single respectively to lead off that crucial frame with Sedlock coming across on Zoe Kesterson’s RBI single. Two batters later, Gabby Bibb hit into a bases-loaded fielder’s choice that scored Decker and gave the Patriots a two-run lead. 

Constantino helped herself with the big blow of the inning, a line drive to center field that was misplayed and rolled all the way to the fence in the cavernous outfield at Washington. That allowed both runners on base to sprint home and Constantino put the pedal to the metal, rounding the bases with ease for a three-run inside-the-park home run. 

Musselman’s Ellie Sloan recorded the final out of the inning from the circle and then set about chipping into the lead the next time she came to the plate. 

After Lydia McClintock singled to lead off the third, Sloan stepped up and sent a pitch twisting toward the right field line where it fell and was overrun by the Washington defense, allowing McClintock to score from second and Sloan to replace her in scoring position. 

The problem for Musselman quickly became the fact that the Lady Applemen’s first score of the game only seemed to make Constantino stronger. 

The right-hander proceeded to strike out the next five batters she faced, running that streak from the final out in the third to the first in the fifth. 

After setting down the final two hitters of that fifth, the Patriot bats got back to work. Courtney Greenfield reached with a one-out single and came home in a hurry as Morgan Cave tripled to make it a 6-1 game. 

Sedlock followed with an RBI knock that drove in Cave and proceeded to swipe second base moments later. Kesterson made sure that effort didn’t go unnoticed, driving in another run and putting Washington one run away from capturing the series in run-rule fashion. 

All nine Patriots that started the game in the batting lineup reached base, a feat that did not catch Orkoskey by surprise. 

“That’s something we’ve really worked on and I’ve even got some guys on the bench that like I showed tonight, that we can pull in. I’ve got confidence in all of them so we are truly 13 strong,” she said.

Despite the Patriots loading the bases, Sloan secured the final out and extended the game into the sixth. 

That remained no problem for Constantino who continued her dominance by putting away Musselman’s last six hitters in order to secure an 8-1 victory and a spot in the state tournament. 

Washington will vie for West Virginia’s biggest honor for the first time since 2021, the final appearance of a four-year streak that dated back to 2017 and sandwiched the canceled 2020 tournament.

“We’re a great team together and that’s what it takes. You’ve got to have the talent. You’ve got to have the camaraderie and the teammates and we’ve got to play as one team and just take it one thing at a time. We are ready. We’re ready to give it a good shot,” Orkoskey said.

The Patriots will face Cabell Midland in the opening round of the state tournament on Wednesday, 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Class AAA bracket’s first game which is set for 12 pm between University and Greenbrier East.

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ST. ALBANS, W.Va. — Facing elimination for the second game in a row, St. Albans was not shaken by an early deficit in the first game of the championship round in the Class AAA Region III, Section 1 Tournament. The Red Dragons scored ten unanswered runs to extend their season with a 10-2 win over George Washington.

St. Albans (21-9) and GW (18-13) will meet for the third time in the sectional tournament and the fourth time this season Friday at 7 p.m. in the decisive game.

“I told them before the game, ‘To do great things, it is never easy’. We knew we were going to see their best guy. We saw him two times already this year. I was proud of the approach and the way our guys battled at the plate,” said St. Albans head coach Rick Whitman.

GW took the lead just three batters into the game. A run-scoring groundout sent Chuck Kelley to the plate, giving the Patriots a 1-0 lead.

However, the Red Dragons used some small ball to put runners on base against WVU signee Bryson Hoff. A trio of bunt base hits opened the door to a three-run third inning for the home team.

“Hoff is tough to square up throwing that slider like he does. We were fortunate enough to have some innings where we got the leadoff guy on. We were able to execute some bunts and they turned into hits. We took advantage of a couple of their mistakes.”

Leading 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth, St. Albans broke the game open with a four-run fifth inning and a three-run sixth.

Sophomore pitcher Gavin Comer did the rest for the Red Dragons. He went the distance, tossing a five-hitter while striking out five batters.

“We gave him the ball for a reason. He is only a sophomore, but he is a competitor. We knew we were going to have to compete tonight to beat their guy. He settled down after that first inning and let our defense work.”

Hoff pitched five innings for GW. He allowed eight hits and struck out seven batters. Alex Wilson had three hits for the Patriots.

The top four batters in the St. Albans lineup — Beau Kelley, Ayden Youngblood, Brogan Samms and Bryce Eggleton — each had two hits.

The winner of Friday’s game will face Oak Hill (17-13) in the Class AAA Region III best-of-three series.

“We’ve got to come out and refuse to lose and battle,” Whitman said. “They are a good ball club and they are not going to lay down for us. We have to win the day. That is our motto right now. We won today and we have a new one tomorrow. It is like I told them, ‘You guys fought back into this thing. We didn’t fight back to lose tomorrow’. That’s the mentality.”

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — 24 sectional champions will qualified for the WVSSAC Regional Baseball tournaments. Best-of-three series play can begin Monday, May 20. Regional champions advance to the state tournament at GoMart Ballpark in Charleston. The single-elimination state tournament will be played May 30-June 1.

Class AAA

Region I

Game 1 – Morgantown (27-7) at Bridgeport (31-4)

Game 2 – Bridgeport at Morgantown

Game 3 – If necessary at Bridgeport

Region II

Game 1 – Jefferson (24-11) at Martinsburg (31-2)

Game 2 – Martinsburg at Jefferson

Game 3 – If necessary at Martinsburg

Region III

Game 1 – Oak Hill (17-13) at George Washington (18-13)/St. Albans (21-9)

Game 2 – George Washington/St. Albans at Oak Hill

Game 3 – If necessary at George Washington/St. Albans

Region IV

Game 1 – Ripley (23-6) at Cabell Midland (23-8)

Game 2 – Cabell Midland at Ripley

Game 3 – If necessary at Cabell Midland

Class AA

Region I

Game 1 – Fairmont Senior (21-7) at Frankfort (18-8)

Game 2 – Frankfort at Fairmont Senior

Game 3 – If necessary at Frankfort

Region II

Game 1 – Philip Barbour (16-11) at Herbert Hoover (18-11)

Game 2 – Herbert Hoover at Philip Barbour

Game 3 – If necessary at Herbert Hoover

Region III

Game 1 – PikeView (23-10) at Independence (17-12)

Game 2 – Independence at PikeView

Game 3 – If necessary at Independence

Region IV

Game 1 – Scott (18-11) at Winfield (27-3)

Game 2 – Winfield at Scott

Game 3 – If necessary at Winfield

Class A

Region I

Game 1 – Wheeling Central Catholic (23-3) at Williamstown (27-4)

Game 2 – Williamstown at Cameron/Wheeling Central Catholic

Game 3 – If necessary at Williamstown

Region II

Game 1 – South Harrison (22-12) at East Hardy (21-6)

Game 2 – East Hardy at South Harrison

Game 3 – If necessary at East Hardy

Region III

Game 1 – James Monroe (19-7-1) at Charleston Catholic (26-3)

Game 2 – Charleston Catholic at James Monroe

Game 3 – If necessary at Charleston Catholic

Region IV

Game 1 – Buffalo (20-11-1) at Ravenswood (17-13)

Game 2 – Ravenswood at Buffalo

Game 3 – If necessary at Ravenswood

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Some 24 hours removed from West Virginia having secured a spot in the NCAA Championships for the second time in program history and first time in 77 years, the accomplishment had started to settle in for Mountaineer golf coach Sean Covich.

“I go back to coming here and not having a golf ball, player or office,” said Covich, WVU’s golf coach the last nine seasons since the program was reinstated before the 2015-16 campaign. “Just a sheet of paper that said you’re the golf coach and it was like, ‘cool, now what do I do?’ Having to go through all of that and finishing dead last in tournaments and not even being invited to tournaments because we’re just starting from scratch to advancing to a National Championship, it all kind of hit me when Max’s putt went in.”

Covich is referencing a par putt junior Max Green drained on the 18th hole Wednesday to wrap up his second straight round of 1-under par 69 that helped cement the Mountaineers’ top 5 finish. One of five teams to advance from the Rancho Santa Fe Regional held at The Farms Golf Club in Santa Fe, Calif., West Virginia finished 5-over par collectively with a team total of 845. That score factors in the team’s top four scores among five golfers for three consecutive days and was enough for the Mountaineers to tie Big 12 Conference member Oklahoma State for third, and most importantly, finish 10 shots ahead of Arizona State, which took sixth place in a regional won by Oklahoma at 3-under par.

“Hopefully it’s something the school, athletic department and maybe even the state takes pride in,” Covich said. “We just sent five golfers from Morgantown that beat a lot of good teams.” 

Green carded rounds of 71-69-69 over the three-day regional event. Fellow junior Todd Duncan, a Daniels native and multi-sport standout at Shady Spring High School, contributed rounds of 73-70-70, while senior Jackson Davenport responded from an opening-round 75 to shoot 71 each of the last two rounds.

Factored in with contributions from sophomore Kaleb Wilson, who shot 71-70 the first two rounds, and Pierce Grove, a junior who fired a 70 on the first and last day, and a total team effort helped WVU advance through.

The steady play and consistent improvement late in the season has the Mountaineers as one of 30 teams that will join six individual qualifiers in competing at the NCAA Championships from May 24-29 at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California.

“I’m not going to say it came out of nowhere, because we won our first tournament of the year, so we knew we had talent,” Covich said. “There were things that we kept spinning our wheels with the whole year that had nothing to do with golf. Let’s show up on time, be good teammates and take care of golf courses. We kind of had to go back to square one a little bit, but something clicked this spring. 

“It’s been a special run. There’s something special about this team. It’s hard to describe. The five that made it to regionals all have different strengths and weaknesses to their game, but all 12 of our guys played a role at some point. It’s been crazy this year — people just randomly stepping up. Everybody had at least one moment to help us get into regionals and even experience this opportunity. That part has been very unique that everybody contributed to get us to this point.”

QUALIFIERS FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Over the last month, West Virginia won its only home match of the season — the Mountaineer Invitational at Pete Dye Golf Club — and then took fifth at Whispering Pines at the Big 12 Golf Championship in Trinity, Texas.

Suffice to say, the team has peaked at the perfect time, and without an abundance of separation throughout the roster, Covich let who would represent WVU in Santa Fe sort itself out through team qualifying at PDGC in advance of regional play.

“Qualifying played a huge part in it, because qualifying doesn’t lie. If you’re playing well, you’re going to rise to the top,” Covich said. “We might’ve been one of a few teams that qualified between selection day and getting on an airplane for regionals. That puts our guys in uncomfortable situations where they have to handle pressure and earn that spot. Sometimes putting them in difficult situations before you go to a tournament makes the tournament easier. That was more of the mindset there. 

“We got some help from the Pete Dye Superintendent to set it up to prepare us for how where we were going. We did some things we hadn’t done with tee box placements and made it very difficult for driving the golf ball. When you step up to 18 tee at Pete Dye, it’s well over 500 yards and a par 4, and there’s Simpson Creek on the left and grass taller than [Covich’s son] Keenan to the right, and you’re going to lose your golf ball if it goes in it. You have to step up and hit a good drive and you have to do that in qualifying to get an airplane ticket.”

That was especially important at The Farms Golf Club, which Covich felt put a premium on accurate driving and in comparison to par, played as the toughest of the six NCAA Regionals.

“Those are some of the tightest fairways we’ve ever seen with trouble left and right, and there’s nowhere to bail out. A lot of golf courses give you room to have error off the tee on one side or the other where you can almost aim away from a fairway way right,” Covich said. “There was none of that at this golf course. 

“There’s a reason Phil Mickelson, Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa all play out at this golf club, because it demands the best for driving. We felt like we were going to live or die by driver and stay aggressive because we’re a really good driving team. That’s what happened. We drove it phenomenal. Other teams were less aggressive off the tee and would hit 3-wood and still miss a fairway and be in trouble. That was one of the keys to success.”

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