Hardin Valley Academy senior Jake Sheffield captured the 2025 5Star Preps Masters boys individual title Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at Three Ridges Golf Course in Knoxville, Tenn. (Photo by Tanner Walker / 5Star Preps)
BY DAVE LINK
Hardin Valley Academy senior Jake Sheffield experienced an array of emotions during the Class AA state golf tournament Oct. 6-7 at Sevierville Golf Club.
High and lows. Good shots and bad shots. Everything between.
At one point, Sheffield thought he’d cost his team the state tournament and title.
Not long after that, he and the Hawks celebrated the program’s first state championship in its first trip to state.
“It was absolutely one of the best days of my life and it’s certainly a memory I’ll never forget,” said Sheffield, the 5Star Preps Boys Golfer of the Year.
Brad Rose Golf Instruction is the proud sponsor of 5Star Preps golf coverage. Brad has sent 100s off to play college golf, as well as instructed PGA Tour champions and U.S. Amateur champions.
His up-and-down tournament included an opening-round 72, when he was 4-over through 14 holes. Sheffield birdied the last four holes and got to even par for the first round.
“That kind of gave me the momentum going into the second round,” Sheffield said.
HVA, meanwhile, trailed Brentwood High by four strokes after the opening round. The Hawks and Walker Valley were 1-under 287 after one round, and Brentwood was 5-under 283.
Sheffield and his teammates began their push in Round 2.
Sheffield was 2-over after 13 holes when he chipped in from about 20 yards for birdie on No. 14.
On the next hole, Sheffield drove the green, had an 80-foot putt for eagle, and made a 2-foot tap-in for birdie, getting to even par.
All was great. For the moment.
Then Sheffield missed makeable birdie putts from about 20 feet on holes 16 and 17, making par, and struggled again on the final hole.
“Definitely a disappointing hole,” he said of 18. “I hit it right down the middle, hit a pretty good second shot, hit a really good chip and missed a pretty short birdie putt that I thought cost my team at the time.”
He finished 72-72—144, even par.
His spirits, shaken at the time, were lifted as he watched teammates scrap their way to the state championship.
HVA, shooting 4-under 284 on Day 2, finished 5-under 571 for the tournament.
Brentwood, shooting 3-over 291 on Day 2, finished 2-under 574.
The Hawks celebrated a team effort when it ended.
“It was everybody that week,” Sheffield said, “but specifically in that second round it was for sure Eli Glenn and Hunter Mousa. Hunter Mousa made about a 50-footer on 18 for birdie. His putt kind of felt like that’s when we secured the win.”
Glenn, a senior and Walters State signee, tied for third at 3-under 141. Mousa, a sophomore, tied for seventh at 1-under 143.
Sheffield and HVA senior Conner Williams tied for 12th at 144.
Sheffield felt relief and jubilation afterward.
“I’ve been with those guys for three years at Hardin Valley,” he said. “We’ve had the teams in the past (good enough) to make it to state, and we knew we had the team this year. I’m really glad we put in the work. It obviously paid off this year.”
Sheffield, who will play golf at Roane State next year, won the season opening 5Star Preps Masters in a playoff, and before the state tournament, earned medalist honors at region with a 66.
“I really wanted to win the state individually because I felt like my game was there,” Sheffield said. “All the practice rounds had kind of showed that my game was there. That was definitely a goal going into state.”
Sheffield stayed focused on golf and school after the state tournament.
He graduated early in December.
“Then I’ll just play a ton of golf before college,” Sheffield said.
He looks forward to more team camaraderie at Roane State. Sheffield knows several of the players on Roane State’s team and has friends on the incoming class.
“They’ve got a pretty big freshmen class coming in and I know all of them,” Sheffield said. “One of the guys I’ll be rooming with got second at state, Charlie Culbertson from Bearden.”
PAST RECIPIENTS
2024 — Bryson White (CAK)
2023 — Will Bacon (Kingston)
2022 — Harrison Thompson (Catholic), Ethan Whitaker (Halls)
2021 — Kaleb Wilson (CAK), Carson Kammann (West)
2020 — Kaleb Wilson (CAK), Lance Simpson (Farragut)
2019 — Kaleb Wilson (CAK)
2018 — Cade Russell (CAK)