‘Just incredible’: Leivian fires 64 in brutal wind to rally Carroll to title
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- Kaden Leivian shot a career-best 8-under 64 in 25–35 mph wind conditions.
- Leivian won individual medalist honors by six strokes at the Class 5A sub-state.
- Leivian’s 64 propelled Bishop Carroll to the team championship at Rolling Hills.
Most of the golfers at Rolling Hills Country Club had reason to dread the wind Monday.
Kaden Leivian had reason to welcome it.
On a day when 25 mph winds and gusts near 35 mph made the Class 5A sub-state tournament feel more like a test of survival than a chase for birdies, the Bishop Carroll freshman saw the conditions as a chance to separate.
Leivian controlled his ball flight and made the wind work for him, firing a career-best 8-under 64 to win individual medalist honors by six strokes and lead Carroll to the team championship.
“I just told myself today that I needed to stay patient,” Leivian said. “I just had to keep my tempo good and keep the ball lower and out of the wind. I felt like I did a good job of that.”
That was an understatement.
Leivian did not just survive a windy, sticky afternoon in Wichita. He turned it into one of the best competitive rounds of his life.
Only one other golfer in the field broke par, as Goddard sophomore Cohen Museousky shot a career-best 2-under 70 to finish second. The rest of the field spent the day trying to solve the wind. Leivian looked like he had answers from the opening tee shot.
“I actually think the windier it is, the more of an advantage Kaden has over the competition,” Carroll coach Mark Berger said. “The way he can control his shot trajectory is just incredible. He has such good ball control that he can utilize the wind.”
Leivian’s round caught fire immediately.
He birdied the par-4 first hole, followed it with another birdie on the 505-yard par-5 second and made it three straight birdies on the par-4 third. Two holes later, he produced his first major highlight of the day with an eagle on the 567-yard par-5 fifth to reach 5-under through five holes.
“It was just a big confidence booster,” Leivian said. “It calmed me down in a way. It let me know that I didn’t have to do anything crazy. I think that’s what allowed me to play good. I just let everything come to me.”
His only mistake came on No. 7, where he missed a short par save and made bogey. Even then, Leivian made the turn at 4-under in conditions where a steady round near par would have been enough to contend.
But Leivian was not done separating.
He made birdie on the par-4 10th, added another birdie on the 532-yard par-5 14th and then found another gear when Carroll needed him most.
The team race had tightened between Carroll and rival Kapaun Mt. Carmel with Leivian hearing late in the round that the Golden Eagles were trailing the Crusaders by a couple of strokes. Kapaun had beaten Carroll for the City League team championship last week and Leivian did not want to see that happen again.
“I heard we were down two to Kapaun and I really didn’t want to lose to them again,” Leivian said. “I just thought, ‘OK, let’s go make a couple more birdies.’”
With the team in mind, Leivian produced one of the best shots of his round. On the 292-yard par-4 16th, his drive finished in a greenside bunker. Leivian had a favorable lie on an upslope, which allowed him to put spin on the bunker shot. He clipped it perfectly, the ball checking within feet of the hole for a tap-in birdie.
Then he followed it by rolling in an 18-footer for birdie on the par-3 17th.
Just like that, Leivian had birdied three of his final five holes, polished off a bogey-free back nine and helped Carroll surge past Kapaun for the team title.
“It gives me a lot of confidence going into next week,” Leivian said. “It just feels really good. Like all of the hard work is starting to come together from the winter.”
Carroll finished with a 306 to edge Kapaun by three strokes, while Maize South claimed the third and final team qualifying spot with a 326. The result sets up a compelling third postseason meeting between the two Catholic-school rivals next week at the Class 5A state tournament, which will be played Tuesday and Wednesday at Tallgrass Golf Club in Wichita.
This time, Carroll had Leivian’s masterpiece to push it over the top .Carroll also received a top-five finish from Max Farber, who shot 76 to place fifth. Cohen Hageman added an 82, Braeden Masterson shot 84, Jack Stephen shot 90 and Quentin Mauler shot 98.
Kapaun showed off its depth by placing five golfers in the top 11, which made Leivian’s score even more valuable for Carroll. Ryker Dondlinger led the Crusaders with a 74 to place third, while Carson Bachrodt shot 75 to finish fourth. Owen Young tied for eighth with a 79, while Henry Mies and Ben Wegeng both shot 81 to finish 10th and 11th.
Maize South was led by Joe Binger, who shot 78 to place sixth, and Conrad Parkhurst, who shot 80 to finish ninth. Cooper Bishop added an 83, Travis Black shot 85, Alex Burroughs shot 88 and Koen Ewertz shot 90.
The individual state qualifiers included Museousky and three Valley Center golfers: Christian Fowler, who shot 78 to place seventh, Jacob Kline with an 86 and Parker Wright with an 87.
For Berger, the only downside of Leivian’s round was that he did not get to see much of it. Since Carroll was hosting the tournament, Berger spent much of the day in the clubhouse handling administrative duties. He only caught a handful of Leivian’s shots and had to relive most of the round through Leivian’s father.
The scorecard told him enough.
“It was just an incredible round,” Berger said. “The wind was just whipping and taking balls and throwing them wherever it wanted to. Kaden is just an amazing player.”
Leivian had prepared for that exact challenge. On Sunday, he went to his home course at Reflection Ridge Golf Course and practiced in the wind, especially with his wedges and short game, trying to sharpen the low, controlled shots he knew he would need at Rolling Hills.
That preparation showed in the number that mattered most: one bogey all day.
Leivian has shot 9-under before in another round, but Monday’s 64 came with crosswinds, gusts and a team championship hanging in the balance. It also dropped his season scoring average to 69.8, the second-best mark in Kansas this season.
It continued a scorching postseason run for the freshman, who shot a 3-under 68 last Wednesday at Sim Golf Course and birdied the final hole to win the City League individual championship.
Five days later, Leivian found another closing kick.
Andover Central wins Class 5A sub-state team title
Andover Central edged crosstown rival Andover by two strokes to win the 5A sub-state team championship at Terradyne Country Club, shooting a 306 to hold off Andover’s 308. Spring Hill claimed the third team-qualifying spot.
Defending Class 5A state champion Colt Farrow, a Colorado commit, led the Jaguars with an even-par 71 on his home course to win individual medalist honors by two strokes. Andover Central placed three golfers in the top 10 with Xayden Garcia taking fourth with a 73 and Jackson Friesen finishing eighth with a 79. Tommy Barbour added an 83 to place 13th, while Ethan Babb (91) and Brecken Von Merveldt (96) were also team members.
Andover made its push with four top-10 finishers: Brody Fox in third with a 73, Seth Benjamin in fifth with a 76, Tatum Ford in seventh with a 77 and Caden Fletcher in 10th with an 82. Other team members included Tyler Veatch (88) and Tyler Reed (93).
Eisenhower snags a team spot at the 5A state tournament
Eisenhower earned a 5A state berth with a second-place team finish at the sub-state tournament hosted at Smoky Hill Country Club in Hays.
Host Hays won the team title with a 313, while Eisenhower secured the runner-up spot with a 324. The Tigers were led by three top-10 finishers, as Jackson Loomis placed fourth with a 79, Luke Springer took sixth with an 80 and Nic Tonnessen finished eighth with an 81.
Eisenhower’s state-qualifying lineup also included Isaac Wright (84), Tyler Charles (85) and Ely Creach (98).
Wichita Collegiate, Trinity dual for Class 3A sub-state crown
Collegiate captured a 3A sub-state team championship at Baxter Springs Golf & Country Club, using its depth to shoot a 313 and edge Wichita Trinity by four strokes. Trinity finished second at 317, while Baxter Springs took third at 324.
Trinity’s Cole Palmer won individual medalist honors with a 1-over 73, while teammate Cooper Martsolf added a fifth-place finish with a 77. Alex Majors also helped Trinity’s state-qualifying team effort with an 81 to place 13th, as other members included John Draper (86), Max Jackson (88) and Cooper Murphy (93).
Collegiate did not have the individual champion, but the Spartans placed all six golfers in the top 16, led by Bronx Esterline in second with a 75 and Landon Langston in third with a 76. Charlie Gentile, Caden Corrigan and Jacobi Salyers all shot 81, while Remy Blanchaert added an 82.
Winfield snags a spot in 4A state tournament
Winfield punched its ticket to state out of the 4A sub-state tournament at Woodland Hills Golf Course in Fort Scott, tying for the second-best team score with a 343 to earn one of the qualifying spots.
Trystan Emerson led the Vikings with a third-place finish, shooting a 7-over 79. Winfield’s state-qualifying lineup also included Mason Price with an 86, Parker Owens with an 88, Kyson Clark with a 90, Eli Tagg with a 98 and Yates Gilliland with a 99.
Wellington’s Ethan Brungardt also qualified for state as an individual, finishing runner-up with a 78, just two shots off the winning score.
This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 5:25 PM.
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