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Swearingen shoots a 68, best round in NHS history
There is no quit in Nevada High School golfer Owen Swearingen.
And now, after his latest performance on the links, there’s no Quitno ahead of Swearingen in the school record book.
At the Sonic Invitational Monday on the par-71 Carthage Golf Course, the talented junior became the first golfer in NHS history to shoot under 70 in an 18-hole round — sinking five birdies, including on three par-5s during a four-hole stretch in the middle of his back nine, en route to a dazzling 3-under-par 68 that shattered Nevada’s previous record score by two strokes (John Quitno shot an even-par 70 at the 2016 district tournament in Warrensburg and also owns three of the school’s four 1-under-par scores; Patrick Ferry owns the other).
“That was high school golf to the max right there. It was awesome,” said longtime NHS head coach Brian Leonard, whose no. 1 golfer, despite shooting 34s on both the front and back nine for the best round in Tiger history, still had to battle Glendale sophomore Max Bowman in a sudden-death playoff to decide the winner of the event. “I’d have to say, with a head-to-head playoff and all those people watching, that was probably one of the best outings I’ve seen in high school golf in all my 17 years coaching.
"The two years we placed third at state was exciting as a coach for the entire team, but Monday's playoff was very compatible and exciting for one of my players and as the coach."
Swearingen and Bowman, who are good friends and spent the previous day together playing a practice round on the Carthage course, started their playoff on no. 10, a par-5 which Swearingen had just birdied at the end of his round and Bowman had made par on at the start of his earlier in the day.
This time, with first place on the line and a gallery of more than 50 supporters following and cheering every shot, both of them birdied the hole.
“They both teed off, and everyone screamed,” said Leonard, who watched with the rest of the crowd as Swearingen’s tee shot landed about 240 yards from the green. “Owen then hit a beautiful 5-wood about 20-25 feet from the pin for a possible eagle putt. Max went off the back of the green. Advantage: Owen.”
Swearingen missed his eagle putt but tapped in for birdie, while Bowman chipped to within 12 feet of the hole before draining a long, match-saving birdie putt, which whipped the crowd into a frenzy and even drew praise from the stunned Swearingen.
“The gallery went crazy, but Owen and Max were so sportsmanlike about it,” Leonard said.
So, it was on to the par-4 no. 11, considered by many to be the toughest hole on the course. Earlier, Bowman had made par on it, but Swearingen bogeyed.
In the playoff, Swearingen used a strategy that he had tried earlier and that many players utilize on the unique hole: taking a shortcut on the fairway of no. 10. From there, Swearingen landed on the back of the green. Bowman, who also teed off toward the opposite fairway, ended up on the front of the green.
Swearingen left himself a 40-foot birdie putt that came up about 8 feet short. He then two-putted from there for a bogey that opened the door for Bowman — whose chip shot came within 6 feet of the hole, which he was able to convert into a tournament-winning par putt. The two friends shook hands as the gallery cheered them on.
“That was probably the epitome, the mountaintop, of high school golf competition and sportsmanship,” Leonard said of Swearingen's performance, which wasn't his personal peak (Swearingen scored a 66 (-4) at the 2020 Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour Kickingbird Fall Challenge and has shot even better non-competitively on his home course at the Nevada Country Club). “I was pretty hyped up, even when he lost, about the competition and just the playoff and everything. Owen was a little bit upset, but if it hadn’t been Max who beat him he would have really taken it harder. Either one of them could have won, to be honest with you.”
Swearingen’s second-place finish, as well as senior Lane McNeley’s season-low round of 84 (+13, good enough for a tie for 25th out of 100 golfers), helped the Tigers shoot a 349 (+65) for eighth place out of 20 teams and their best round of the year as a group. Glendale took home the top spot at +15, ten strokes better than Joplin.
Logan McNeley had the next best finish for Nevada, shooting a 91. Cordell Cox and Bryce Eaton rounded out the team’s scoring with a 106 and 120, respectively.
The season-best performance bodes well for Nevada as it looks ahead to its next meet: the Big 8 Conference Tournament on Tuesday, April 27, right back at the Carthage Golf Course.
“Going into conference, Owen knows he can probably win it, and he probably should win it,” said Leonard, whose squad will then have a week off before the Class 3 District 3 tournament on May 10 at the Bill & Payne Stewart Golf Course in Springfield — another one Swearingen has played on multiple times. “He could be conference champion and district champion. That’s because, if Owen hits a bad shot, in the past he’d get so down on himself and get so upset. But this year, if he gets in a bad position, his attitude is, ‘Hey, I can get up and down from there.’ Or, ‘I can make par from there.' He’s got such a positive attitude and a maturity on the golf course.”
As for the scorecard from Swearingen's record-breaking round, Leonard said that will go in the school’s trophy case — with enough room saved for more.
