Drew Miles
Most of the Class 2A state qualifiers in boys golf played a practice round at Weibring Golf Club in Normal last week, on the eve of the state meet. Drew Miles did not.
The North Shore Country Day senior opted to attend school on Oct. 15 and forgo the chance to familiarize himself with a state-meet course he had never traversed. Hallways before fairways, calculus before chip shots.
“I thought, ‘OK, I’ll go to school and try to make it down there in time to work on my putts,’ ” Miles said.
The Raider, a Winnetka native, arrived in Normal at around 6:30 p.m., too late to work on his putts. He played 18 holes of state-meet golf on Oct. 16, 18 more holes of state-meet golf on Oct. 17. Miles shot 69-71 at the par-71 course, Illinois State University’s home layout, in windy, cold conditions.
Two days later, he showed up for school in Winnetka and noticed posters adorned on walls of hallways. His name was on the posters. Students stopped Drew Miles on his way to class. Students shook Drew Miles’ hand.
Stuff like that happens when you’re a state champ.
State runner-up Trey Tussey, a Metamora High School senior, carded rounds of 74-69, three shots behind Miles. The 6-foot, 160-pound Miles became the second Raider in program history to earn a state championship. The first was Nick McCall, the Class 1A champ in 2012.
“Drew had laser-sharp focus all weekend,” NSCD golf coach Cyrus Oelerich said. “He did not let anything bother him. He has all of the shots, and he’s a student of the swing, always aware when his swing is slightly off-kilter, always knowing what to do to make that swing right again.”
Illinois State-bound Tussey trailed Miles by only one stroke after 14 holes on the second day of the state meet. Miles, 14th at state a year ago (at Prairie Vista Golf Course in Bloomington), birdied three of his final six holes en route to a two-under 33 on the back nine. He made birdie, from about 12 feet, on the par-five 13th.
“My putter had been really cold before the 13th,” Miles recalled. “That putt was a confidence-booster.”
Birdies on 15 and 16 preceded pars on 17 and 18. Tussey, meanwhile, parred three of his final four holes.
“Great guy, great competitor,” Miles said of Tussey. “We had a really good battle.”
Oelerich had a feeling something special would unfold for his golfer early last weekend, really early. After crushing his tee shot on the par-four 10th hole (Miles’ first hole on the opening day), Miles left his approach shot short. His chip shot then bounced a couple of times on the green, rolled and found a temporary haven in a hole.
“Drew,” Oelerich said, “gave me a look right after the ball went in … a look that said, ‘Let’s go; I’ve got this.’ He went downstate thinking he’d come back as an all-stater. He said it, he meant it, and he believed it.”
Miles worked regularly with his swing coach, Chris Green of Indian Hill Club in Winnetka, during the offseason. Green is not a do-this-try-this teacher. What Miles appreciates most about Green’s style of teaching is what Green does after making a swing suggestion.
“He explains why he’s teaching you something, why a change will improve your swing,” Miles said. “I understand the game a lot more because of him. And he gets it … he knows what will help young golfers, and he knows how to communicate well when he’s working with young golfers.”
Miles might not be play collegiate golf. The state champ might attempt to make a college team as a walk-on. He’ll make that decision next fall. For now, Miles is perfectly content to be a senior student at NSCD, a former varsity golfer and a teen with friends in the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior classes.
“He’s a normal kid, a kid who likes to talk about fantasy leagues and school with his buddies,” Oelerich said. “Some kids, golf kids, all they do is talk about golf. Some kids are goofy. Drew is just a regular boy next door, a good guy with a great group of friends, a good guy who happens to be a very good golfer.”