Bishop Carroll freshman wins City League golf title with clutch putt
Bishop Carroll freshman Kaden Leivian already has the length off the tee that can give him a head start on the field.
On Wednesday afternoon at Sim Golf Course, he showed he has the putter, and the poise, to finish the job.
With the City League individual title tied three ways and the threat of a playoff hanging over the No. 18 green, Leivian stood over a six-foot birdie putt with a championship waiting on the other side with one smooth stroke. He picked his line, trusted it and watched the ball barely catch the left side of the cup.
That final birdie gave Leivian a 3-under round of 68 and delivered him individual medalist honors in his first City League tournament.
“Going into the postseason, it definitely felt good to start it off that way,” Leivian said. “It’s pretty awesome to win it, especially as a freshman and my first year doing this.”
Leivian’s winning putt capped a dramatic three-way race with Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior Carson Bachrodt and Kapaun freshman Henry Mies, who both finished one shot back at 2-under 69.
It was the kind of finish that offered a reminder of why Leivian has become one of the most accomplished young golfers in Kansas. He is already Carroll’s No. 1 player, owns the fifth-best scoring average in the state this season at 71.1 and is one of the top-ranked golfers in the country for class of 2029.
But on Wednesday, it was not just Leivian’s driver that won him the tournament. It was his composure.
“If you saw him, you would think he’s a freshman in college and not a freshman in high school,” Carroll coach Mark Berger said. “He’s just built solid and he also doesn’t act like a freshman either. There’s a mental maturity to his game. And obviously he’s just an incredible talent.”
The tournament could have easily belonged to Mies, who entered the day with the fifth-best scoring average on Kapaun’s team but played the best round of his season at the perfect time.
Mies birdied three of his first seven holes to jump into early contention, even if it was difficult to know exactly where he stood with players spread across the course. From there, he stayed steady. His only mistake came with a bogey on No. 12 and he eventually posted the clubhouse lead with a 2-under 69.
That left the final pairing of Leivian and Bachrodt chasing his number.
Bachrodt made his move on the back nine. On the par-4 No. 11, he made birdie while Leivian made bogey, a two-shot swing that moved Bachrodt to 2-under and dropped Leivian to 1-under. Bachrodt briefly took the overall lead with another birdie on the par-4 No. 14, while Leivian matched him with a birdie of his own to stay one behind.
Then the race tightened again on the par-4 No. 16, where Bachrodt made bogey to fall back into a tie with Leivian and Mies at 2-under.
That set up the final-hole drama.
Bachrodt hit what looked like the ideal tee shot on No. 18, drilling his ball down the middle of the fairway. But when he arrived, the ball had settled directly in a bare dirt patch. Because players were playing the ball down, Bachrodt had to hit his approach from the difficult lie.
He still produced a quality shot and gave himself a birdie chance.
Leivian had one, too.
Bachrodt barely missed his putt. Leivian did not.
“I liked the putt, but I really couldn’t tell the break,” Leivian said. “I hit it on my first line and it barely snuck in there. It was close, but it did go in, so that was a good feeling.”
While Leivian delivered the individual championship for Carroll, Kapaun left Sim with the team championship.
The Crusaders upset Carroll with a 286 team score, finishing six strokes ahead of the Golden Eagles. It was a meaningful result because Carroll had beaten Kapaun in every tournament this season when both teams had their top lineups, making Wednesday a confidence-building win for Kapaun and another sign of how competitive the Class 5A postseason race could become.
Kapaun placed six golfers in the top 12: Bachrodt and Mies tied for second with 69s, Ryker Dondlinger finished fourth with a 72, Ben Wegeng and Owen Young tied for eighth with 76s and Greyson Wasinger placed 12th with an 83.
Carroll was led by Leivian’s winning 68, while Braeden Masterson and Max Farber tied for fifth with 73s. Cohen Hageman rounded out Carroll’s team score with a 78, while Quentin Mauler and Jack Stephen also competed for the Golden Eagles.
For Leivian, the first postseason step was a breakthrough individual win. For Carroll, the team result added fuel to a rivalry that could continue at regionals and state.
“I don’t like to lose to those guys,” Leivian said of Kapaun, “so hopefully we can get them back at regionals and state.”
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