Blue Jay Golfers Swing Through Their Fall District Season 

Purple Knights and Crusaders Fall to Jesuit in District Play This Week Varsity golfers gather for a photo Thursday afternoon before teeing off against St. Augustine. Pictured above are freshman Sean Flynn (left), sophomore Austin Schillaci, junior Owen Seiler, senior Dennis Occhipinti, and junior Timothy Harris. Check out the action at the Jesuit-St. Augustine Golf Photo Gallery.

The following article is courtesy of The Times-Picayune and nola.com.   Jesuit's Lewis Has Rare Chance Thursday, July 16, 2009 by Billy Turner Walking the hallowed ground of a national junior amateur, before even starting junior year in high school, can get a golfer pretty stoked. Next week, after a weekend in New York, rising junior Myles Lewis of Jesuit will play in the U.S. Junior Amateur tournament. After qualifying in the manner he did, he's ready for about anything. The two-time defending high school Division I champion won the U.S. Junior Amateur sectional qualifier in June by shooting 146 for two rounds. But it was his come-from-behind style that had people talking. Junior Myles Lewis during the state regional golf tournament this past spring. According to his father, Sydney, Miles was standing on the fairway of the par-4 18th -- his 36th hole. Lewis was 5 over for the second round and 80 yards from the hole. Realizing he needed to do something special to earn the one qualifying spot, Lewis holed out an 80-yard wedge shot for his second eagle of the day. His total of 146 put him in a playoff with Travis Wilmore of Alexandria and David Klaudt of Dallas. Lewis birdied the first playoff hole to win the qualifier. "I was striking the ball well. I needed to birdie the last hole at least to hope to get into a playoff," Myles said. "I was talking to my caddie, and he said 'Stick it close and make the putt.' Little did I know . . . I hit a little spinner that backed up into the hole for eagle. Then I had the momentum, and I hit a perfect drive on the first hole of the playoff. I hit a fairway wood to 3-4 feet left of the hole and made the putt for birdie and the win." It's all easy, right? That reminded me of what his high school coach, Chad Laborde, told me back in May, when Lewis won his second consecutive title. "Myles is the Brett Favre of golf," Laborde said. "You get touchdowns or interceptions. What makes him so good, what makes him shoot 79 sometimes, is the same thing that makes him shoot 64. That's the aggressiveness that he has. He's probably the most confident player I've ever been around. Even when he has bad days, he never gets down on himself." Trailing and needing birdie? Why not make eagle instead? Works for me, and apparently it does for Lewis. This has been quite the summer for Lewis. He has played tournaments throughout the South, and he said he's learned from all the courses and all the circumstances. Now it's on to the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. It will begin Monday at the Trump National Golf Club at Bedminster, N.J. and go for five days. After 54 holes of stroke play, the field of 156 players will be pared to 64 for match-play competition. The U.S. Junior Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association. "It's going to be a blast," Lewis said. "I'm stoked. I will have fun on Friday in New York, then it will be a test of nerves that I need to have. It's great to step onto a playing field with the best amateurs in the country." Myles, who plays out of New Orleans Country Club, has a chance to break Mandeville's Matt Hungerman's record of three consecutive Division I prep championships. He plans to play in college and then see where it leads him. Playing in tournaments like this simply ups the ante. "I'd love to play college golf; I would love to play professional golf," he said. "But I'm never going to leave the game. "Playing such great players in this level of competition, I worry about it when I'm in the car going there. But once I step foot on the course, I try to play the best I can." Lewis went to his swing coach, James Leitz of Pinewood Country Club in Slidell, for some adjustments, and he said his golf swing felt "comfortable" as he headed to the big stage. For Lewis, that might mean something magical.

Jesuit’s golf team finished third at the LHSAA State Tournament in Zachary, Louisiana. Pictured above are senior Patrick Hagood, freshman Taylor Billings, senior Robert Emmett, sophomore Peyton Vitter, sophomore Myles Lewis, and Head Coach Chad Laborde. (The following article is courtesy of The Times-Picayune and nola.com) Lewis Keeps Jesuit's Winning Streak Intact Blue Jays tack on their third straight individual title Thursday, May 07, 2009 By Billy Turner Staff writer ZACHARY -- Wednesday brought the dry, warm air of familiarity to the Class 5A State Golf Tournament at Beaver Creek Golf Club. Wind blowing at 14 mph early and late. A dreary, overcast day early, and puffy white clouds late. And Jesuit's Myles Lewis winning the individual title and Mandeville winning the team championship. As Yogi Berra said, "It was like déjà vu all over again." Sophomore Myles Lewis: 2008 & 2009 Individual State Champion Only the course was different from last year, as the two-day tournament moved from Oak Wing Country Club in Alexandria to this hilly, wide course. But it was the third consecutive year a Jesuit player won the state title -- Scott Lawless won in 2007. Mandeville, which shot 7-under-par on Tuesday, beat Baton Rouge-Catholic, which shot 6-under-par 282 on the second day when conditions were worse. The Skippers broke the state scoring record at 572, 4-under for the two days. The Bears, who had three golfers under par Wednesday, shot 576. Jesuit was at 581, in a tie with St. Thomas More. Hahnville finished fifth with 290. Mandeville overcame Evans Haile's disqualification when he signed an incorrect scorecard. Haile would have had a 75 after an opening-day 69. He signed for a par 4 on No. 16 when his playing partner had written a 3. Blake Kelley of the Skippers finished third as one of the four players to shoot 140s. "I'm just glad we made it through the day," Mandeville Coach Calvin Smith said. "Catholic did an amazing job today. They came one shot short of matching our score from yesterday. I was just praying we would stay under their score from yesterday. It was just a great competitive tournament. "I just felt bad for Evans, because he played so well. But it happens, and he wasn't the only one up there that did it. (Two others were disqualified.)" Lewis finished at 138, ahead of the four players at 140. Teammate Peyton Vitter shot 141. Both are sophomores. "Myles is the Brett Favre of golf," Jesuit Coach Chad Laborde said. "You get touchdowns or interceptions. What makes him so good, what makes him shoot 79 sometimes, is the same thing that makes him shoot 64. That's the aggressiveness that he has. He's probably the most confident player I've ever been around. Even when he has bad days, he never gets down on himself." Lewis is in line to become the first prep player to win four consecutive state titles. Matt Hungerman of Mandeville won three straight from 2004 to 2006. Lewis shot 143 as a freshman. "We've been playing together since we were 5 years old," Vitter said. "We played tournaments together. In fact, one year when we were 11 or 12, we played in the Gulf States. We played 16 tournaments. I won eight. He won eight. Our rivalry has always been there. I think I push him, and he pushes me. That's why we're two of the best in the state." Said Laborde: "Coaching those two is not a bad gig. Peyton has been our scoring-average leader all year long. On any given day, any one of them can do it. He felt like when (Myles) shot 72 (Tuesday), he had a chance." "The putter wasn't as hot as it could have been, but it was definitely better than yesterday," Lewis said. "I drove the ball much better, and I played pretty well overall all day. I left some strokes out there, but I'm not upset with a 66." He made eight birdies and stayed out of trouble, making birdie on the final two. "(On 17) I hit a pitching wedge from 160. The wind was behind me. I thought it was going to come up short, but it ended up 6 feet right of the hole." The four-way tie for second was broken by a playoff of four holes. Josh Kohler of Mandeville and Jordan Karam of Barbe were eliminated after one hole. On the fifth playoff hole, Anthony Lacombe of Barbe won the playoff for second with a par.

Congratulations to Jesuit’s varsity golf team: 2009 district and now regional champions. Visit the 2009 LHSAA Regional Golf Tournament Photo Gallery. Congratulations to the Jesuit varsity golf team for winning the 2009 LHSAA regional golf tournament at the Chateau Golf Course in Kenner, Louisiana on Thursday, April 30. The team results from match play are as follows: 1. Jesuit 296 2. South Lafourche 313 3. Assumption 322 4. Brother Martin 325 5. South Terrebonne 367 6. Rummel 369 7. Chalmette 373 8. Central Lafourche 383 9. Terrebonne 405 10.Thibodeaux 411 Individual results for the Blue Jays are as follows: Peyton Vitter 73 Myles Lewis 73 Taylor Billings 74 Patrick Hagood 76 Robert Emmett 82

Jays Finish a Strong Second at St. Louis Catholic Golf Tournament Jesuit’s golf district champions gather for a picture after taking second this past weekend at the St. Louis Catholic Golf Tournament. Pictured above are Patrick Hagood (left), Peyton Vitter, Robert Emmett, Myles Lewis,Taylor Billings, and Head Golf Coach Chad Laborde. Congratulations to the Jesuit varsity golf team who wrapped up a second consecutive District Championship with a win over Brother Martin on Wednesday 164-166 and improved their overall district record to 10-0 with just two matches left to play. The golf team took second place in the St. Louis Catholic Golf Invitational over this past weekend. The team was in sixth place after the first round of the tournament and made a great comeback in some strong winds in the second round, shooting a score of 306 while the rest of the field’s scores went up. The team was led by Sophomores Peyton Vitter and Myles Lewis who shot a total of 153 and finished with another Top Ten All-Tournament Team performance. Senior Robert Emmett finished 1 shot back of the Top Ten with a total of 154. The team will compete in the Regional Tournament on April 30th at Chateau Country Club.