Butler Wins DIII Golf Championship, Loughry Medalist
Courtesy BC3, William Foley
LOTHIAN, MD. -- All-American golfer Troy Loughry held off a challenge in Maryland on Sunday to become Butler County Community College's first two-time winner of the Region 20 individual title, and the Pioneers earned a second consecutive berth in the national tournament by defeating Anne Arundel Community College.
Loughry won the Region 20 DIII individual crown by four strokes and the Pioneers claimed their second team title in a row with a 26-stroke victory in the two-round tournament at The Cannon Club in Lothian.
BC3's Region 20 championship and its automatic berth in the NJCAA Division III national championship tournament in Chautauqua, N.Y., was the program's second in a row and sixth overall. In addition to 2022, the Pioneers earned berths in 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2019.
Loughry finished the two-round tournament Sunday with a 147, topping first-round leader Chase Richardson of Westmoreland County Community College who ended with a 151.
Loughry in 2022 won the Region 20 individual title with a 146 and by 8 strokes over Dylan Weiss of Anne Arundel and the Pioneers took the team title with a 23-stroke victory against Anne Arundel at the Links at Spring Church in Apollo.
The Pioneers shot a 654 and Anne Arundel, Arnold, Md., a 680, in the 2023 Region 20 tournament.
"We came down here on a business trip," BC3 golf coach Bill Miller said. "We called it our business trip. And I think they rose to the occasion."
Richardson led Loughry by one stroke after 18 holes Saturday. Loughry led Richardson by 1 stroke after nine holes Sunday.
"Neck-and-neck," Miller said.
"He pushed me," Loughry said, "for two full days."
Loughry secured the Region 20 individual title Sunday when he shot a 4 on the par-5 18th hole and Richardson, a 7.
"That kind of ended it," Loughry said. "But for 35 of the 36 holes, he pushed me hard."
BC3's Liam Kosior finished third with a 156, Cory Voltz fifth with a 168, Tanner Hohmann ninth with a 185 and Jack Mason 10th with a 187.
Loughry, Kosior, Hohmann and Mason in 2022 led BC3 to its highest team finish at sixth place in the national championship tournament.
"We have experience," Loughry said. "I think there are going to be less nerves for me and the rest of the team. Liam is playing well right now. Tanner, Jack and Cory all have chances to make runs. And I want to be an All-American again and for us to win the tournament."
The 18 golfers with the lowest scores after the 72-hole round national championship tournament are named All-Americans. Loughry in 2022 placed fifth and as BC3's first first-team All-American. Kosior finished tied for 20th.
The Pioneers will face up to 100 other golfers on up to 14 other squads on the par-72 Chautauqua Golf Club course from June 6 to June 9.
"We know what we have to do," Kosior said. "We know that you can't win the tournament on the first day, but you can certainly lose it. It's a four-day tournament. You have to have a 10-second memory. You hit a good shot. Forget about it. You hit a bad shot. Forget about it. Move on to the next."
Loughry is also a two-time winner of the fall-season-ending Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference championship tournament. The Pioneers in October won their second WPCC team title in a row and eighth since 2013.
Loughry and Kosior were named Sunday to the all-Region 20 tournament team for the second consecutive year.