Published: May 07, 2008 11:58 pm            

Herbst’s hard work pays off in second state crown

Logan Herbst set a lofty goal prior to entering high school. He wanted to win the state golf title all four years. The Fairview junior won’t achieve that, but he’s pretty close.

Herbst captured the Class 2A individual state championship on Tuesday at Sugar Creek Canyon Golf Course in Hinton. It marked his second individual crown in three years.

Herbst won the title as a freshman, then finished third last year.

This time his three-round total of 209 enabled him to win by three shots. Herbst led the Yellowjackets to a second-place finish overall.

“I was going to make sure that didn’t happen again,” Herbst said of finishing in second place. “I wanted to get off to a better start.”

Herbst did just that, shooting a 137 on the 36-hole first day to take a four-stroke lead atop the leaderboard. His second-day score of 72 held off Christian Heritage’s Chase Lindsey, who finished with a 212.

Herbst, who was not in the same pairing as Lindsey, said he was nervous walking off the No. 18 green, which he birdied.

“I was pretty anxious to see how it turned out,” he said.

Herbst, who won all but one tournament this spring, has long been dedicated to his success on the links. He began playing golf at age 3, when his dad, Rick, bought him a set of plastic clubs.

Helped by his father’s tutelage, Herbst is a tireless worker on the course.

“If he has problems on his swing, he’ll work hours on it,” Fairview coach David Baldwin said of Herbst. “He’s not satisfied with where he’s at. He’s always trying to get better.”

Herbst has aspirations of playing golf in college. Wichita State, New Mexico and University of Central Oklahoma have all expressed interest.

But there is one goal left for Herbst.

Fairview won the state title last year while Herbst finished third. He would like to finish his high school career with two more state championship rings.

“We want to make sure second place doesn’t happen again,” Herbst said. “We’ll work extra hard next year to make sure we give ourselves a chance to double up with state championships.”

The prospects look good for Herbst and the Yellowjackets. Herbst, Ryan Coppock, Dylan Baldwin and Kefner Fisher, all seniors-to-be, have been the core of Fairview’s recent golf success.

“Next year, I’m sure we’re excited,” Baldwin said. “We’ll have a little chip on our shoulder and ready to go.”